LIBS assisted PCA analysis of multiple rare-earth elements (La, Ce, Nd, Sm, and Yb) in phosphorite deposits

Abstract

In the present study, the immediate detection of rare-earth elements (REEs) in phosphorite deposits has been reported using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Numerous emission lines corresponding to the REEs such as lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), and ytterbium (Yb), have been detected in the emission spectra of phosphorite-induced plasma plume. For the quantitative analysis, we employed the calibration-free LIBS (CF-LIBS), and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy techniques. The results obtained using the CF-LIBS technique show excellent agreement with that obtained by EDX. Besides principal component analysis (PCA) was employed by incorporating the LIBS spectral data of rare earth phosphorite rocks samples containing La, Ce, Nd, Sm, and Yb emission lines. The first three PCs were observed using LIBS spectral data set showing a covariance (interpretation rate) up to 76.3%. This study suggests that LIBS yields a quick and very reliable qualitative and quantitative analysis of REEs in any geological ore sample.