Quantitatie X-ray powder diffraction analysis of clay minerals in Australian coals using Rietveld methods

摘要

The mineralogy of clay-rich mineral matter isolated form a range of Australian bituminous coals has been evaluated in quantitative terms from X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) patterns using a Rietveld-based data processing technique. The chemical composition of coal ash derived from this mineral matter has been calculated and compared to the directly determined composition of the ash prepared form the same coal samples. Although there are some minor differences du in part to uncertainty regarding the actual composition of several minerals, the compositions indicated by the two methods show a relatively high correlation, suggesting that the Rietveld technique provides mineralogical analyses that are consistent with independently determined chemical data.