Modes of occurrence of gallium in Al-Ga-rich coals in the Jungar Coalfield, Ordos Basin, China: Insights from LA-ICP-MS data

Abstract

Owing to the concern about supply of Ga, it has been attracted much attention for the modes of occurrence of Ga in Al-Ga-rich coal-hosted deposits. However, the modes of occurrence of Ga in coal were mainly investigated using indirect methods, which may cause uncertainties. In this study, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) spot and mapping analysis were used to directly characterize the concentration of Ga within the host minerals including kaolinite and boehmite, and to investigate the distribution of Ga in organic matter in the Carboniferous Al-Ga-rich coal from the Haerwusu Mine in the Jungar Coalfield of the Ordos Basin, North China. Microscope observation and scanning electron microscope - energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) analysis were performed, along with petrographical and mineralogical investigations. Eight types of kaolinite and three types of boehmite particles from coal, erosional-sourced mudstone, and tonstein were identified, classified, and selected for the determination of in-situ elemental compositions.

The results showed that the concentration of Ga in the selected minerals varies, with the following order from highest to lowest: colloidal boehmite (90.38 ppm), low-Al (Al₂O₃/SiO₂) clastic kaolinite (84.67 ppm), high-Al clastic kaolinite (55.49 ppm), Na-bearing kaolinite (49.94 ppm), fine-grained boehmite (47.13 ppm), high-Al cryptocrystalline kaolinite (40.25 ppm), low-Al cryptocrystalline kaolinite (38.78 ppm), and low-Al vermicular kaolinite (29.67 ppm), high-Al vermicular kaolinite (28.37 ppm), K-bearing kaolinite (19.44 ppm), and clastic boehmite and cell-filling kaolinite (below detection limit). LA-ICP-MS mapping demonstrated that a certain proportion of Ga could be associated with organic matter, concentrating on vitrinite. Notably, the concentration of Ga in clastic kaolinite and colloidal boehmite was found to be substantially higher compared to the whole-rock coal and erosional-sourced mudstone samples, indicative of their dominant host minerals for Ga. Conversely, the concentration of Ga in K-bearing or Na-bearing kaolinite which had experienced transformation from primary kaolinite is much lower than that in clastic kaolinite, while the concentration of Ga in fine-grained boehmite, which had altered from kaolinite, surpassed that of its corresponding kaolinite layer. These findings suggest that gallium could have undergone migration during the evolution or alteration of clay minerals.