Applied Rigaku Technologies has a new application report that details the analysis of anticipated ash content in unburned coal using the Rigaku NEX QC EDXRF analyser. Rigaku Application Note #1378 demonstrates the capability of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry for predicting percentage of ash content in coal. The report includes complete information about sample preparation, method calibration and repeatability.

Ash content of coal is the non-combustible residue comprised of metal oxides and heavier elements that remain after the organic, gaseous and volatile components are removed through combustion. The ash content affects the coal quality and influences its price. Reliably predicting the ash content in coal before burning is therefore important in many areas throughout the industry. EDXRF offers a fast, straightforward, and low-cost method of predicting the percentage of ash content in coal before it is burned.

Analysis is uncomplicated, with the prospective ash material expressed as a percentage of the original weight. This analysis is accomplished by use of a simple and versatile benchtop EDXRF analyser.

The performance described demonstrates the capacity of the NEX QC analyser to yield excellent results for the analysis, and illustrates its ability to offer lab analysts or field operators an easy and fast tool for predicting ash content percentage in coal. The versatility of the NEX QC Series also allows for the measurement of elemental and oxide concentrations if the assay values are available for the set of calibration standards.

A copy of this report may be requested at: http://www.rigakuedxrf.com/edxrf/app-notes.html?id=1378_AppNote

Since its inception in Japan in 1951, Rigaku has been at the forefront of analytical and industrial instrumentation technology. Rigaku and its subsidiaries form a global group focused on life sciences and general purpose analytical instrumentation. With hundreds of major innovations to its credit, Rigaku and its subsidiary companies are world leaders in the fields of small molecule and protein crystallography, Xray spectrometry and diffraction, X-ray optics, as well as semiconductor metrology.