Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Coal from the Kuznetsk Coal Basin by Means of GC/MS and GC/GC-FID

Results of the investigation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) content in fine coal powders prepared according to a special procedure within size classes (-0.2+0.1) mm, (-0.1+0.063) mm, (-0.063+0.04) mm, (-0.04) mm for ten different coal ranks (B, D, G, Zh, K, KS, OS, SS, T, A) from the Kuznetsk coal basin are presented. The qualitative and quantitative PAHs content in coal samples was determined by means of GC-MS using a SCION SQ SELECT instrument (Bruker, USA). The maximal Σ14 PAHs content is observed for A rank coal (224.3 mg/kg), KS (201.9 mg/kg) and T (197.8 mg/ kg), and the minimal Σ14 PAHs content is detected for B rank (2.2 mg/kg) for the size fraction (-0.04) mm. The concentration of benz(a)pyrene, which is a strong carcinogen, is within the range of 0.026‒103.1 mg/kg in coal samples under investigation. At the same time, the fraction of benz(a)pyrene is less than 45% of the total amount of detected PAHs, and it is less stable to the effect of the environment than other PAHs. The most stable component in PAHs series is phenanthrene, which was detected in the series of studied coal samples of different fractions (0.061‒43.7 mg/kg). Phenanthrene may be considered a PAHs of priority, and it may be used as a reference compound to evaluate the influence of coal mining and processing on the environment. The group composition of hydrocarbons in coal extracts was determined by means of two-dimensional gas chromatography with flame ionization detection.