Characterization and Removal Potential of Fluorine in Lignite from a Mine in Shaanxi Province, China: A Case Study

Fluorine appears in coal and is released into the atmosphere upon combustion, resulting harmful impacts on environment life, which needs to be removed from before utilization. Coal can processed by flotation gravity separation reduce its fluorine content. In this study, a lignite sample mine Shaanxi Province, China, was characterized using float–sink test, sieving X-ray diffraction (XRD), polarized light microscopy. Mineralogical analysis indicated that mainly contained Muscovite polylithionite, partly pyrite. The washability floatability analyses were employed evaluate extent of removal >0.5 <0.5 mm size fractions lignite, respectively. Compared raw 347.74 μg/g content, proposed combination gravity-flotation process decreased content 90.14 μg/g, meets requisites standards.