Author ORCID Identifier
Chrysoula Chrysakopoulou: 0009-0007-0012-9831
Konstantinos Perleros: 0009-0006-5559-9083
Małgorzata Wojtaszek-Kalaitzidi: 0000-0002-7185-4770
Lambrini Papadopoulou: 0000-0002-4643-9364
Nikolaos Kantiranis: 0000-0001-7874-4219
Stavros Kalaitzidis: 0000-0002-1134-201X
Abstract
Coal mining and exploitation pose certain challenges in terms of environmental management. The objective of this research is the study of airborne dust from Knurow region, Southern Poland, aiming to identify the level and the features of anthropogenic particles, mostly in the form of fly ash. Two samples collected from a domestic gutter system were analysed regarding their mineralogical, chemical and petrographical features, emphasizing the magnetic fraction and the carbonized organic particles. The airborne dust contains 22 wt.% of fossil and fresh organic matter, whereas the major mineralogical phase is magnetite. The magnetic fraction (up to 3 wt.%) appears in the form of spheres of simple or complex surface structure, while their average size is 12.7 and 15.8 μm in the studied samples. Lithogenic magnetite is totally absent. The magnetic spheres consist mainly of Fe, whereas Al, Si, Mg and Mn participate in minor amounts. Unburnt coal particles, along with chars, sooty and coke particles, were identified, accounting for 80 vol.% on a mineral matter-free basis, with fresh residues of immature organic matter accounting for the remaining 20 vol.%. Anthropogenic activities in the study area point out a significant environmental footprint to the urban site of the Knurow region.
Recommended Citation
Chrysakopoulou, Chrysoula; Perleros, Konstantinos; Wojtaszek-Kalaitzidi, Małgorzata; Papadopoulou, Lambrini; Kantiranis, Nikolaos; and Kalaitzidis, Stavros
(2025)
"Magnetic and optical properties of airborne dust particles nearby coal-fired power plants in Upper Silesia, Poland: a mineralogical, petrographical and chemical approach,"
Journal of Sustainable Mining: Vol. 24
:
Iss.
2
, Article 10.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.46873/2300-3960.1457
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
