Leachability and analytical speciation of antimony in coal fly ash.

The present study assesses the single extraction of Sb from two coal fly ashes with aqueous solutions at a range of pHs (1-12) and with citrate 1 mol L(-1) at pH 5, in order to obtain preliminary information about Sb leaching from this matrix. Speciation analysis of the coal fly ash extracts by HPLC-ICP-MS and HPLC-HG-AFS was carried out in order to identify the presence of individual Sb species. Sb(V) was the main Sb species in the leachates, although minor amounts of Sb(III) were also detected in some extracts.