Comparison of Elemental Analysis Techniques for Fly Ash from Municipal Solid Waste Incineration using X-rays and Electron Beams

Abstract

Abstract With the rapid expansion of the waste incineration business both in Europe and globally, there is a growing need for the elemental analysis for fly ash from municipal solid waste incineration. In this work, samples of washed and unwashed ash from municipal solid waste incineration in Sundsvall are evaluated. Qualitative analysis and semi-quantitative analysis are used to compare two elemental analysis methods, scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurement. Both methods are used to retrieve the difference in elemental composition between washed and unwashed fly ash. SEM-EDS accurately detects light elements from well-prepared samples in a vacuum environment, while, for online measurements, XRF is a potential method that analyses hazardous metal content in the fly ash.