Thursday, July 15, 2010

Portable X-ray Fluorescence

Portable X-ray Fluorescence





Portable X-ray fluorescence has recently been accepted as a field technique to measure arsenic in dry solid samples, such as soil and dried sludge. The main interferents listed in this method were variations in particle size, moisture, and lead co-contamination.

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is the emission of characteristic "secondary" (or fluorescent) X-rays from a material that has been excited by bombarding with high-energy X-rays or gamma rays. The phenomenon is widely used for elemental analysis and chemical analysis, particularly in the investigation of metals, glass, ceramics and building materials, and for research in geochemistry, forensic science and archaeology.

Advantages:
  • Measuring devices are normally portable

Disadvantages:
  • Detection is only accurate at gram per liter concentrations, which is not suitable for determining low arsenic concentrations typical in drinking water.

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