Distribution of Vanadium in the Upper Permian Coal of the Northwest Guizhou Area: What Affects This Distribution?

Research on the enrichment mechanism of vanadium in coal can increase its economic value. Vanadium is abundant in Guizhou, and the exploitation extent is low due to a lack of clarity on the occurrence state and enrichment mechanism of vanadium. Herein, the coal seam of the Upper Permian Longtan Formation in the northwest Guizhou area was selected as the research object. Samples of the 6# and 16# coal seams from coal mines in 36 tectonic units were collected and analyzed, with apparent vanadium enrichment. The average vanadium contents in the 6# and 16# coal seams were 79.6 and 80.3 μg/g, which were higher than those of the coals in the world. The correlation between the organic and inorganic components and vanadium in the 6# and 16# coal seams was investigated, demonstrating that vanadium is present mainly as a carrier in the vitrinite organic fractions. In addition, vanadium was found to be primarily of the terrigenous detritus type, showing a high relation to the Emeishan basaltic. Therefore, the anomalous enrichment of vanadium in the research area is closely related to the detritus provided by the Kangdian Upland and the Niushoushan Upland.