Iodine in Chinese coals and its geochemistry during coalification

To determine the I distribution in Chinese coals, a nationwide survey was undertaken based on the distribution, periods of formation, rank and production yields of various coal deposits. A total of 305 coal samples were collected and their I contents were determined by catalytic spectrophotometry with pyrohydrolysis. The geochemistry of I during coalification (including both peat diagenesis and coal metamorphism) was assessed. It was found that the I contents of Chinese coals range from 0.04 mg kg–1 to 39.5 mg kg–1 and exhibit a lognormal distribution, with a geometric mean of 1.27 mg kg–1. Statistical correlation analysis and the observation that I contents increase with coal rank indicate that coal I is chalcophile in nature, and not generally organically bound. When peat developed into lignite through diagenesis, 95–99.9% of the original I was lost. The composition and structure of clay minerals present in the coal were controlled by the original depositional environment. The higher the I content of coals, the more likely the original sediments were affected by a marine environment. Iodine contents increased from lignite through sub-bituminous and bituminous coals to anthracite. This indicates that coal absorbed excess I from hydrothermal fluids during metamorphism (including geothermal metamorphism and telemagmatic metamorphism). The telemagmatic metamorphism was caused by magmatic activities that depended on the specific geological structure of the region. In China, most high-rank coals were formed by telemagmatic metamorphism.