Occurrence regularity of lithium in No.8 coal seam of Gujiao Mining Area in Xishan coalfield

In order to study the occurrence regularity of lithium in coal seam No.8 of Gujiao mining area in Xishan coalfield,we collected 37 coal samples of coal seam No.8 with notched grooves from six coal mines such as Zhenchengdi,Tunlan,Malan,Xiqu,Dongqu,Jialequan in Gujiao mining area,and we used optical microscope,Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to analyze the samples.The results show that the content of lithium in coal seam No.8 is between 7.5×10-6 and 282.0 ppm and the average is 79.5×10-6.The average content of lithium in coal seam No.8 of Malan coal mine is 151.7×10-6,which has reached the comprehensive utilization grade of lithium(120×10-6).The content of lithium in coal is highly and positively correlated with ash content.In vertical distribution,the content of lithium in coal is relatively high in gangue or near gangue,roof and floor,and the lithium in coal is mainly hosted in inorganic components and positively correlated to gallium and thorium.