International journal of mining science and technology 

About: International journal of mining science and technology is an academic journal published by Elsevier BV. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Coal mining & Coal. It has an ISSN identifier of 2095-2686. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 1461 publications have been published receiving 32047 citations. The journal is also known as: International journal of mining science & technology.

Application of response surface methodology (RSM) for optimization of leaching parameters for ash reduction from low-grade coal

Abstract: Coal is the world’s most abundant energy source because of its abundance and relatively low cost. Due to the scarcity in the supply of high-grade coal, it is necessary to use low-grade coal for fulfilling energy demands of modern civilization. However, due to its high ash and moisture content, low-grade coal exerts the substantial impact on their consumption like pyrolysis, liquefaction, gasification and combustion process. The present research aimed to develop the efficient technique for the production of clean coal by optimizing the operating parameters with the help of response surface methodology. The effect of three independent variables such as hydrofluoric acid (HF) concentration (10–20% by volume), temperature (60–100 °C), and time (90–180 min), for ash reduction from the low-grade coal was investigated. A quadratic model was proposed to correlate the independent variables for maximum ash reduction at the optimum process condition by using central composite design (CCD) method. The study reveals that HF concentration was the most effective parameter for ash reduction in comparison with time and temperature. It may be due to the higher F-statistics value for HF concentration, which effects to large extent of ash reduction. The characterization of coal was evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis and Field-emission scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray (FESEM-EDX) analysis for confirmation of the ash reduction.

Pore characterization of different types of coal from coal and gas outburst disaster sites using low temperature nitrogen adsorption approach

Abstract: To characterize the pore features of outburst coal samples and investigate whether outburst coal has some unique features or not, one of the authors, working as the member of the State Coal Mine Safety Committee of China, sampled nine outburst coal samples (coal powder and block) from outburst disaster sites in underground coal mines in China, and then analyzed the pore and surface features of these samples using low temperature nitrogen adsorption tests. Test data show that outburst powder and block coal samples have similar properties in both pore size distribution and surface area. With increasing coal rank, the proportion of micropores increases, which results in a higher surface area. The Jiulishan samples are rich in micropores, and other tested samples contain mainly mesopores, macropores and fewer micropores. Both the unclosed hysteresis loop and force closed desorption phenomena are observed in all tested samples. The former can be attributed to the instability of the meniscus condensation in pores, interconnected pore features of coal and the potential existence of ink-bottle pores, and the latter can be attributed to the non-rigid structure of coal and the gas affinity of coal.

A review of research on spontaneous combustion of coal

Abstract: Coal oxidation at low temperatures is the heat source liable for the self-heating and spontaneous combustion of coal. This phenomenon has imposed severe problems in coal related industries. Attempts to understand this phenomenon by previous researchers have provided significant progress. It is well-known that coal oxidation at low temperatures involves oxygen consumption and formation of gaseous and solid oxidation products. This process is majorly influenced by temperature, oxidation history of coal, coal properties, particle size distribution of the coal, etc. The current understanding of the phenomenon of self-heating and spontaneous combustion of coal is discussed along with the different experimental and numerical models established to predict self-heating characteristics of coal. This paper focuses on the global position of the study carried out by academics, research institutes and industries on spontaneous combustion of coal and coal mine fires. Within this framework, the generally used spontaneous combustion techniques to predict the spontaneous combustion liability of coal were evaluated. These techniques are well-known in their usage, but no specific method has become a standard to predict the spontaneous combustion liability. Further study is still needed to indicate a number of impending issues and to obtain a more complete understanding on the phenomenon.

Purification, application and current market trend of natural graphite: A review

Abstract: Graphite has a stacked planar sp2-hybridized C6 ring structure, displaying a polymorphism with rhombohedral, hexagonal, and turbostratic. Based on its structure-property relationship, it affords a variety of technologically innovative applications or performances in industries, such as lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells, two dimensional graphene, water purification, electronics, fiber optics, spintronics, refractories, electrical products, electric vehicles, etc. The monetary value of graphite depends largely on carbon content and flake size. However, the physical separation of graphite from its ore body is known to be very expensive, energy intensive and time-consuming. Hence, this study extensively describes a current purification method for producing high-quality graphite material with impurities reaching about 10–100 mg/kg, attracting a lot of end users. It also describes the potential applications of graphite materials and identifies the future scope of a new market, depending on material purity. Finally, the current and future graphite-mining countries are investigated in details.

Mechanical behavior of coal under different mining rates: A case study from laboratory experiments to field testing

Abstract: During deep mining, the excavation disturbance stress path is the domination factor for the stability of the surrounding rock mass as well as the ground pressure. One of the important parameters of the stress path is the loading or unloading rate of the disturbed rock or coal, which depended on the mining rate. To achieve a well understanding of the mining rate and its effect on the coal behavior, a preliminary case investigation of the mechanical properties of the coal at the various mining rates in both the laboratory scale and field scale was performed. Based on the uniaxial compression test and the digital image correlation (DIC) method, the mechanical behavior of the coal samples, such as the evolution of the strength, surface deformation, crack propagation, and elastic strain energy of the coal under the various loading rates were analyzed. A threshold range of the loading rate has been observed. The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and releasable elastic strain energy (Ue) increase with increasing loading rate when the loading rate is below the threshold. Otherwise, the UCS and Ue may decrease with the loading rate. Under the low loading rate (≤0.05 mm/min), the tensile deformation of the original defects could result in crack coalescence, whereas failure of the coal matrix is the key contributor to the crack coalescence under the high loading rate (greater than0.05 mm/min). Afterwards, with the consideration of the bearing capacity (UCS) and energy release of the mining-disturbed coal mass (Ue), a power exponential relationship between the mining rate (MR) in the field and the critical loading rate (vc) in the laboratory was proposed. The application potential of the formulas was then validated against the field monitored data. Finally, based on the critical loading rate, the released strain energy, and the monitored pressure on the roof supports, a reasonable mining rate MR for the Ji15-31030 working face was determined to be approximately 3 m/d.