Studies of distribution, release and environmental influences of Fushun oil shale and its self-combustion

Three dumping sites have been formed at the northern region of Fushun City, Liaoning Province, for a large number of gangues including much oil shale that had been piled onto ground as gangue during long-term coal exploitation at West Fushun Open-pit Mine. Under appropriate conditions, self-combustion occurs after long-term exposure of oil shale and consequently such phenomena could be found almost everywhere at the three dumping sites. Much polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） must be generated through oil shale self-combustion, a kind of incomplete combustion. In this paper, in order to make clear the PAHs distribution in oil shale and its self-combustion and their potential effects on surrounding environment, coal, low-grade oil shale, high-grade oil shale, burning oil shale, burnt oil shale and shaly soil collected from West Fushun Open-Pit Mine and West Dumping Site were analyzed quantitatively in 16 US EPA priority PAHs for the first time. Results showed that 16 PAHs in all samples were less than those in some bitumites and carbonaceous coals and were as much as those in lignites and anthracites from some Chinese mining areas. Coal and low-grade oil shale were abundant in lower molecular-weighted PAHs in contrast to high-grade oil shale with rich higher molecular-weighted PAHs. They had more benzoa] pyrene than the highest background value in soils in Liaoning Province. So PAHs in these crude oil shales could cause potential effects on environment. There were at least 5121.40 p.g/kg PAils generated and at least 3976.70 μg/kg PAHs released into environment in the period from combustion beginning to sampling on the basis of calculation. Furthermore, the concentrations of 3-4 ring PAHs among them were very high. Therefore it could be said that oil shale self-combustion aggravated the environmental impacts of PAHs in oil shale. The low concentrations of PAHs in shaly soil showed that much PAHs had been released through recultivation and biodegradation.

Studies of distribution, release and environmental influences of Fushun oil shale and its self-combustion