Trace Elements in West Virginia Coals

RHENIUM (Re)

Rhenium is a minor trace element in West Virginia coals and is of no environmental concern.

Geologic Distribution: Rhenium was detected in only 1 sample of 546 samples of West Virginia coals analyzed. This sample of the Pocahontas No. 6 coal contained 0.57 ppm Re on a whole coal basis. Little is known of the mode of occurrence of Re in coal, and Re does not exist in a distinct mineral species ¹. Rhenium may be bound in the organic fraction of coal, but may also be dispersed in fine molybdenum sulfide grains ².

Economic Impact: Rhenium in coal is of no economic value. Rhenium is used in filaments for mass spectrographs and ion gages, rhenium-tungsten thermocouples, electrical contacts and rhenium wire is used in photoflash lamps ¹. Re is also used as a catalyst ¹.

Environmental Impact: Rhenium has no apparent deleterious effect on the environment ^2,, and is of unknown toxicity ¹.

References:
1. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
2. Swaine, D.J., (1990)

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Page last revised: March 2, 2002

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