The surface layers on coal fly ash particles are of special environmental interest in that concentration enrichments of trace elements may occur [1], thereby enhancing the potential bioavailability of toxic species. Little research, however, has been devoted to the analytical characterization of intraparticle and interparticle distributions of trace elements. The high detection sensitivity, spatial resolution, and depth profiling capabilities of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), coupled to digital image acquisition and processing [2], permit three-dimensional (3D) compositional maps for collections of individual micron-sized particles. The 3D analysis of trace element distributions in coal fly ash particles is the subject of this SIMS investigation
Bioleaching of trace elements and rare earth elements from coal fly ash