Topics in coal geochemistry—Short course

This short course was prepared at the request of Servicio Geológico Colombiano (SGC) as a module for staff training. Prior to the short course, the SGC expressed interest in receiving training in (1) geochemistry and quality of coal; (2) geochemistry of trace elements in coal; (3) mercury and halogens in coal; (4) characterization and cycling of atmospheric mercury; (5) mercury, trace elements, and organic constituents in atmospheric fine particulate matter; (6) mercury in coal and the effect of coal quality on mercury emissions from combustion systems; (7) environmental and health effects related to coal use; and (8) related topics in coal combustion processes. A five-session short course was prepared that addressed all but the engineering aspects of coal use. In the sections that follow, topic overviews are given for the material that was presented. Brief descriptions of each slide are given in appendix 1, and the actual short course material, presented as a series of PowerPoint slides, is included in Portable Document Format (PDF) as appendix 2.