Research Projects

The project aims to investigate the source organic matter of vitrinite/humite in coal/lignite and its paradigms through palaeofloral evolution from Permian to Palaeogene. The source organic matter of this maceral is expected to vary with the evolution of floral communities from Pteridosperm-dominated Permian through conifer-dominated Jurassic to angiosperm-dominated Palaeogene. Variations in abundances between terrestrial versus aquatic submergent/emergent plants in response to palaeoclimatic/paleoenvironmental oscillations may also influence the geochemical features of vitrinite/huminite sources. Recent studies indicate vitrinite origin in Early Permian coal from both diagenetic and pyrogenic sources. Inertinite grains, particularly fusinite and semifusinite, have been interpreted to originate from redox process and biomass charring from palaeowildfires. However, evidence from Palaeogene lignites is still lacking. The project will employ an array of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbon biomarkers, as well as characteristic diagenetic and pyrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to investigate the organic matter source of vitrinite/huminite and its plausible variations in response to palaeofloral evolution, diversity, palaeowildfires, and palaeoclimatic shifts from Permian to Palaeogene. The project will also investigate differences in thermal maturity level of the lithotypes and macerals and their plausible reasons through specific saturated and aromatic isomeric ratios of biomolecules.