Sulfur removal from coal beneficiation wastes

During beneficiation of coal at the coal mining area of Tula, Russia, huge amounts of coal wastes are produced with a high residual pyrite content, These wastes which are usually disposed of without specific care in the environment are considered as active sources of acidic water generation which severely contaminates soils, surface- and groundwater and endangers the ecosystems at the area. In the present paper the feasibility of desulfurization of the coal wastes is examined. The main parameters considered are the chemical and mineralogical characteristics of the wastes, the leachability of the toxic elements, the environmental risks as well as the major technological criteria for the evaluation of each potential technique.