This research is prompted by the need for better understanding of solid fuels, in the context of their practical application. Detailed analysis of the material and petrographic composition of such fuels is essential in order to predict their behavior and to identify appropriate industrial uses. With sufficient detail, specialists may progress from the general characteristics of a field to well-founded technological approaches. The maceral composition of the coal is of particular importance in this respect: it reflects the internal structure of the organic material and directly influences the classification of the coal and its assignment to specific technological and industrial groups. It is not by chance that the maceral composition is employed as the basic characteristic of coal in standard documents, including State Standard GOST 70207–2022, which regulates the system for coal classification and codification. Thus, the investigation of coal’s maceral composition cannot be regarded simply as a formal procedure. Rather, it is an essential stage in the assessment of coal and its industrial prospects. In this research, attention focuses on two anthracite samples from a coal section in the southwestern section of the Kuznetsk Basin. Technical and elemental analysis of the coal provides a comprehensive idea of its properties. Tests show that the coal is characterized by low ash content (∼4.0%) and minimum yield of volatiles (no more than 8%). The total sulfur content in the sample is also low (0.3% at most). The sulfur content is determined by means of a LECO SC-832 analyzer in accordance with State Standard GOST 8606–2015. The metamorphic stage of the anthracite samples is assessed on the basis of the reflection coefficient of vitrinite, generally regarded as a reliable indicator. The results permit the assignment of the samples to stages VII–VIII of the anthracite group according to State Standard GOST R 59261–2020. They correspond to group 1A and subgroup 1AF in the classification outlined in State Standard GOST 70207–2022; that indicates a high level of metamorphic development. Petrographic analysis of sections indicates that the inertinite group is dominant in the samples’ organic matter (65–69%). The main representatives of this group are semifusinite and sclerotinite. The vitrinite content is no more than 24–26%. Collinite plays the major role: it binds together the fusinized elements in the coal structure. These proportions of the macerals reflect the specific formation and subsequent metamorphic development of the anthracite.
Kurchkin et al. (Sun,) studied this question.