Abstract
Instrumental photon and neutron activation techniques have been compared through the determination of sixteen major, minor and trace constituents in two British Columbian coals and a standard coal. Between the two techniques, the results generally agreed to within one standard deviation with replicate precision being maintained, for both techniques, below twenty percent at worst and down to five percent or better for several elements. Almost all of the elements having environmental, industrial or economic significance in fossil fuels can be determined with good sensitivity by either of these two methods, both of which share the advantages of being non-destructive and multi-element in nature and sufficiently accurate as demonstrated in this paper.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
R. J. GUIDOBINI, Spark source mass spectrometry and atomic absorption spectrophotometry for the determination of trace elements in coal, in Analytical Methods for Coal and Coal Products, Vol. 1, C. KARR Jr. (Ed.), Academic Press, 1978, P. 421.
D. W. KOPPENAAL, R. G. LETT, F. R. BROWN, S. E. MANAHAN, Anal. Chem., 52 (1980) 44.
J. W. PRATHER, J. A. QUINN, A. R. TARRER, X-ray fluorescence analysis of trace elements in coal and solvent-refined coal, in Analytical Methods for Coal and Coal Products, C. KARR Jr. (Ed.) Academic Press, 1979, p. 357.
S. S. QUE HEE, V. N. FINELLI, F. L. FRICKE, K. A. WALNIK, Intern. J. Environ Anal. Chem., 13 (1982) 1.
R. E. JERVIS, K. L. RICHARD HO, B. TIEFENBACH, J. Radioanal. Chem., 71 (1982) 225.
J. N. WEAVER, Anal. Meth. Coal Proc., 1 (1978) 377.
V. VALKOVIC, Trace Elements in Coal, Vol. 11, CRC Press, 1983, and all references therein.
V. GALATANU, Ch. ENGELMANN, J. Radioanal. Chem., 67 (1981) 143.
K. W. D. LEDINGHAM, M. G. KELLEHER, S. D. ROBERTSON, J. Radioanal. Chem., 71 (1982) 169.
Ch. BERTHELOT, G. CARARO V. VERDINGH, J. Radioanal. Chem., 60 (1980) 443.
T. KATO, M., KATO, J. Radioanal. Chem., 57 (1980) 105.
H. U. FUSBAN, Ch. SEGEBADE, B. F. SCHMITT, J. Radioanal. Chem., 67 (1981) 101.
A. CHATTAPADHYAY, J. Radioanal. Chem., 37 (1977) 785.
N. K. ARAS, W. H. ZOLLER, G. E. GORDON, G. J. LUTZ, Anal. Chem., 8 (1973) 1481.
A. CHATTAPADHYAY, R. E. JERVIS, Anal. Chem., 46 (1974) 1630.
B. GRIEPINK, F. COLINET, G. GUZZI, L. HAEMERS, H. MUNTAU, Fresen. Z. Anal. Chem., 315 (1983) 20.
G. R. EVANS, Summer Research Report, Dept. Chem. Eng., U of T, 1980.
D. R. WILLIAMS, J. S. HISLOP, High Resolution γ Spectra of 40–44 MeV γ Photon activation products, Part 3A — A Summary of γ-rays, radionuclides and nuclear interferences observed. Atomic Energy Research Establishment, AERE-R 9022, Harwell, England, 1980.
M. GERMANI, I. GOKMEN, A. C. SIGELO, G. S. KOWALCZYK, I. OLMEZ, A. SMALL, D. A. ANDERSON, M. P. FAILEY, M. C. GULOVALI, C. C. CHOQUETTE, E. A. LEPEL, G. E. GORDON, W. H. ZOLLER, Anal. Chem., 51 (1980) 2209.
T. G. PRINGLE, The redistribution of trace and minor elements during coal hydroliquefaction, M. A. Sc., University of Toronton 1982.
G. J. LUTZ, “Self-shielding corrections in photon activation analysis”, in U. S. NBS Spec. Publ. No. 312, 1971, p. 829.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pringle, T.G., Landsberger, S., Davidson, W.F. et al. Determination of trace and minor elements in coal: A comparison between instrumental photon and thermal neutron activation analysis. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, Articles 90, 363–372 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02060793
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02060793