Occurrence of rare earth element and yttrium (REY) in Tanjung formation coking coal from Sekako area, Central Kalimantan

Abstract

Inorganic geochemistry of coal become a point of interest on coal study, especially relating with the occurrence of rare earth element. Tanjung Formation is one of coking coal bearing deposits in Barito Basin, Central Kalimantan. The aims of this study to determine the occurrence of Rare Earth Element and Yttrium (REY) especially in term of concentration and enrichment type in coal seam A and B of Tanjung Formation in Sekako Area, Central Kalimantan. A number of 10 coal samples were collected from both seams. Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analysis was conducted to determine the REY in coal. Based on this study, coal seam A and B generally have very low concentration of REY elements deposits. The REY elements of coal seam A and B in the study area are typically characterized with M and H-type enrichment, which might be caused by the mafic basalt rocks in the surroundings.