Feed coal, fly ash
(FA), and bottom ash (BA) were collected from
a 300 MW circulating fluidized bed boiler. A mechanical screen classifier
was used to separate and obtain particles with different sizes. The
distribution of valuable elements, including aluminum (Al), lithium
(Li), and gallium (Ga), and rare earth elements (REE) in the samples
was investigated. Results indicate that the contents of SiO
2
and Al
2
O
3
in sized ash particles decreased
as the particle size decreased; meanwhile, the contents of CaO, SO
3
, and Fe
2
O
3
apparently increased. The
sulfur-fixing product anhydrite tended to be distributed in the fine
ash particles. The valuable elements were more enriched in FA than
in BA. The Li, Ga, and REE were evenly distributed in FA particles
with different sizes. Separating ash particles with a superhigh concentration
of these rare elements was difficult using the mechanical screen,
but a part of the anhydrite or CaO in circulating fluidized bed ash
could be removed easily. The Li and REE in the feed coal were highly
associated with quartz, kaolinite, and other fractions containing
SiO
2
and Al
2
O
3
. No definitive relationship
between the Ga concentration and Al
2
O
3
content
in the feed coal and ash samples was observed.