Discovery and ramifications of incidental Magneli phase generation and release from industrial coal-burning.

ABSTRACT: Coal, as one of the most economic and abundant energy sources, remains the leading fuel for producing electricity worldwide. Yet, burning coal produces more global warming CO₂ relative to all other fossil fuels, and it is a major contributor to atmospheric particulate matter known to have a deleterious respiratory and cardiovascular impact in humans, especially in China and India. Here we have discovered that burning coal also produces large quantities of otherwise rare Magnéli phases (Ti _x O_2x-1 with 4 ≤ x ≤ 9) from TiO₂ minerals naturally present in coal. This provides a new tracer for tracking solid-state emissions worldwide from industrial coal-burning. In its first toxicity testing, we have also shown that nanoscale Magnéli phases have poten

SUBMITTER: Yang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5548795 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature