Distribution of rare earth elements in PM₁₀ emitted from burning coals and soil-mixed coal briquettes

Emission from burning coals is one of the major sources of the airborne particles in China. We carried out a study on the rare earth elements (REEs) in the inhalable particulate matter (PM₁₀) emitted from burning coals and soil-coal honeycomb briquettes with different volatile contents and ash yields in a combustion-dilution system. Gravimetric analysis indicates that the equivalent mass concentration of the PM₁₀ emitted from burning the coals is higher than that emitted from burning the briquettes. The ICP-MS analysis indicates that the contents of total REEs in the coal-burning PM₁₀ are lower than those in the briquette-burning PM₁₀. In addition, the contents of the light rare earth elements (LREEs) are higher than those of the heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) in the PM₁₀ emitted from burning the coals and briquettes, demonstrating that the REEs in both the coal-burning and briquette-burning PM₁₀ are dominated by LREEs. The higher contents of total REEs and LREEs in the coal-burning PM₁₀ are associated with the higher ash yields and lower volatile contents in the raw coals. A comparative analysis indicates that the La/Sm ratios in the PM₁₀ emitted from burning the coals and briquettes, being lower than 2, are lower than those in the particles from gasoline-powered vehicle emission.