Preliminary Spectrographic Investigation of Germanium in Kansas Coal

Abstract

A detailed spectrographic method for determining the germanium content of coal is described and the results of analyses of 6 Kansas coals at 24 different locations are reported. The 6 coals sampled were the Mulberry, Mulky, Bevier, Croweburg, Mineral, and Pilot. No definite conclusions are made as to geographic or stratigraphic variation in germanium content. The concentration of germanium in the coal ash ranges from 0.0036 to 0.0680 percent, and in the total coal from 0.00069 to 0.00480 percent.