Trace Elements in West Virginia Coals

BROMINE (Br)

Bromine is erratic and low in abundance in West Virginia coals and is of minor environmental concern.

Geologic Occurrence: Bromine is generally inferred to be associated with the organic fraction of coal, but some Br may be associated with clays and iron oxides in coal ¹. Bromine averaged 23.88 ppm in West Virginia coals on a whole coal basis, with low Br in coals of the Upper Pennsylvanian and higher and more variable Br in Middle and Lower Pennsylvanian coals, resulting in a geographic distribution showing low Br in the northern coalfield and higher and erratic values in southern West Virginia. Highest individual Br values were mainly in the Sewell coal.

Economic Impact: Bromine is used in photography, making fumigants, sanitizers and flameproofing agents ². Bromine in coal has no known economic impact.

Environmental Impact: The prime source of Br in the atmosphere is sea spray ¹. Coal fired power plants and volcanoes are also sources of Br in the atmosphere ¹.

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

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Page last revised: March 2, 2002

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