Assessment of major and minor elements in the Northumberland Coalfield,England

Thirty-three coal samples from the Northumberland Coalfield were investigated for thirty-six major and minor elements with a view to interpreting the mode of inorganic formation or association and their enrichment or depletion in relation to the published data for other coals.It was generally observed that the interelement correlation did not confirm a total dependency of the elements either on the inorganic or organic matter. However, the association of some of the minor elements tend to constitute a more satisfactory reference to the first phase of coalification (i.e. organo-metallic complexes). Principal components and factor analyses given for the elements confirm the mode of formation and provide the basis for suggesting three significant modes of concentration and association: (a) biological fixation; (b) mineral sorption; and (c) localized concentration.Comparison of the chemical data for this coal with published data appears to show similarity with the averages quoted for a “rich coal ash”.