Utilization of oxygen flask combustion method for the determination of mercury and sulfur in coal

By use of oxygen flask combustion (OFC), a rapid and convenient determination method for mercury (Hg) and sulfur (S) in coal was developed. For the determination of Hg in coal, the OFC method with a KMnO4 solution as an absorbent was carried out, and the resulting solution was analyzed by cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CVAFS). For six certified reference material coals, the Hg concentrations obtained by this method were in good accordance with the certified or reference values. In addition, nine brands of Japanese standard coals (SS coals) were analyzed by the present method, and the data were compared to those from the authentic microwave-acid digestion (MW-AD) method. For the determination of total S in coal, the OFC method with H2O2 solution as an absorbent followed by ICP-AES or precipitation titration was successfully applied.