Determination of arsenic, phosphorus and chlorine in coal by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

Abstract

With the increase of awareness in environmental protection, the environmental requirements of imported coal are gradually put on the agenda. The determination of arsenic, phosphorus and chlorine is one of the major items. Boric acid was selected as the binding agent. It was directly mixed with coal samples for preparation by pressed powder pellet method. The content of arsenic, phosphorus and chlorine in coal was determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). The prepared sample exhibited high strength. The determination range of proposed method was 0.0005%-0.0051% for arsenic, 0.015%-0.11% for phosphorus and 0.007%-0.092% for chlorine. The relative standard deviation of method was 6.2%, 1.7% and 2.5% for arsenic, phosphorus and chlorine, respectively. The proposed method was verified using the standard sample of coal. The found values were in good agreement with the reference values. The found results of arsenic were compared with those obtained by atomic fluorescence spectroscopy, which showed good consistence. It could be applied to the rapid determination of arsenic, phosphorus and chlorine in the imported coal.