Boron and Sulfur Isotopic Fractionation in the Coal Combustion System.

Abstract

The boron and sulfur isotopic ratios of four coal samples and corresponding fly ash leachates provide explanations for boron and sulfur incorporation into coal and behavior during combustion. Fractionation processes occur during coal formation and during the combustion of coal as some of the boron and sulfur is concentrated on the ash, and some escapes into the atmosphere as flue gas. Water-soluble boron in coal is extracted using a modified soil technique. Boron is isolated from solution using Amberlite IRA-743 resin and concentrated by methyl borate distillation with no isotopic fractionation observed. The forms of sulfur in coal are extracted sequentially using the lithium aluminum hydride (LAH) method. The isotopic content of samples from a coal-fired power-plant are used to determine if waste water has impacted a shallow aquifer system. No indication of mixing between waste water and ground water was observed.