An in depth interpretation of definition and classification of macerals in coal (ICCP system 1994) for Chinese researchers,IV:Liptinite

A new classification scheme for liptinite maceral group was published in the International Journal of Coal Geology in 2017,nearly 30 years after the International Committee for Coal and Organic Petrology (ICCP) discussed and formulated the new classification of macerals,namely“Classification of liptinite ICCP system 1994”.Prior to this,ICCP published classification schemes for vitrinite (ICCP,1998),inertinite (ICCP,2001) and huminite (Sykorova et al.,2005).These four classification schemes are collectively referred to as the“ICCP System 1994.”In contrast to the previous ICCP (Stopes Heerlen) classification system,this new classification system is applicable to coal of all ranks and dispersed organic matter.The macerals of the liptinite group in the ICCP System 1994 are cutinite,suberinite,sporinite,resinite,exsudatinite,chlorophyllinite,alginite,liptodetrinite,and bituminite.Compared with “ICCP system 1994”,the National Standard of the People’s Republic of China,namely“Classification of Macerals for Bituminous Coal”(GB/T15588—2013),has barkinite and fluorinite,and clearly distinguishes maceral subgroups,(i.e.,sporopolle is divided into macrospores and microspores,and alginite is divided into telalginite and lamalginite.“ICCP system 1994” has chlorophyllinite,and considers fluorinite as a variety of resinite.All the rest macerals correspond to each other between the National Standards “Classification of Macerals for Bituminous Coal”and“ICCP System 1994”.Different from that of “ICCP system 1994”,the National Standard GB/T15588—2013 is applicable to middle rank coals.