Abstract

Aspects in Mining & Mineral Science

Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry: Principles and Applications for Analysis of Mineralogical and Environmental Materials

  • Open or Close Alexandre H Pinto*

    Department of Chemistry, Ithaca College, USA

    *Corresponding author: Alexandre H Pinto, Ithaca College, Department of Chemistry, Center for Natural Sciences, 953 Danby Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA

Submission: December 22, 2017; Published: February 13, 2018

DOI: 10.31031/AMMS.2018.01.000506

ISSN: 2578-0255
Volume1 Issue2

Abstract

Portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF) is a non-destructive compositional analysis technique, which allows the measurement in field, requiring minimum to no sample preparation. This mini-review presents the physical principles and examples of applications of pXRF for the analysis of mineralogical and environmental samples, such as rocks, soils and sediments. All examples described are from the present decade, in order to show some interesting aspect regarding elemental determination capability, result analysis, or sample preparation. Comparison between the results obtained from pXRF and other compositional analysis techniques are frequently present in order to show the positive and negative aspects of the pXRF for each type of sample.

Keywords: X-ray fluorescence; Portable X-ray fluorescence; Handheld X-ray fluorescence; Minerals; Rock; Soil; Sediments

Abbreviations: EDXRF: Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence; ICP: Inductively Coupled Plasma; ICP-AES: Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry; ICP-MS: Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry; ICP-OES: Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry; pXRF: portable X-ray Fluorescence; TXRF: total reflectance X-ray Fluorescence; WDXRF: Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence; XRF: X-ray Fluorescence

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