Speciation and isotopic composition of lead in coal samples from selected profile of the Most Basin

Coal is one of the major energy sources in the world and contains most of the elements from the periodic table. During combustion of coal these elements are released and redistributed. This may lead to environmental problems. Some of these elements are considered to be very dangerous for human and animal health and ecosystems. The knowledge of concentration and speciation of elements in coal is important for the prevention of the adverse environmental phenomena associated with the use of coal. One of the hazardous elements in coal is lead. The purpose of this work is to determine the concentration of lead and its isotopic composition simultaneously with determining the speciation of lead in coal. The ICP-MS method was used to determine the concentration and isotope ratios of lead. A total of 62 samples of subbituminous coal was analyzed. The method of selective extraction analysis BCR was used on 9 samples of subbitumnious coal to identify the speciation of lead in coal. Lead concentrations in coal were measured in the range of 0.25 to 78.84 mg·kg-1 . These concentrations correspond to the average concentrations of lead in most of the coals. Isotope ratio 206 Pb/207 Pb in coal samples ranged from 1.169 to 1.219. Isotopic 208 Pb/206 Pb ratio was measured in the interval 2.047 to 2.093. The isotopic..