Nuclear microprobe analysis of artificial coal

An artificially coalified Taxodium peat was used to examine the behavior of inorganic constituents in terrestrial organic matter during the early coalification process. The artificial coal is produced by subjecting the peat to incremental increases in temperature up to 60 °C and pressures to 14.48 MPa over a four-week period in a partially open reactor. A standard polished thin section 30 μm thick is then cut from the resulting disk and examined using light microscopy to select and mark areas to be cut from the polished thin section. The distribution of inorganic constituents in these areas of the solid produced during the coalification process is then studied using nuclear microscopy. Results suggest that concentrations of inorganic constituents, including silicon, are lower in the newly produced solids than in the initial material. Distributions of other inorganic elements, including aluminum, sulfur, chlorine, potassium, calcium, barium and iron are also investigated.