XPS Analysis of Stainless Steel Plant Dust

Abstract

Due to the fact that it contains several kinds of toxic substances, stainless steel plant dust is regarded as a toxic solid waste. In this paper, XPS technique was employed to determine the elemental depth profiles on the surface of dust, especially Cr, in order to provide useful information on Cr(VI) formation mechanisms as well as the distribution of other element on the surface of stainless steel plant dust. The results showed that without sputtering with Ar ion beam, both Cr(VI) and Cr(III) exist on the surface of the dust. Cr(VI) mainly exists on the surface of the dust in the form of CrO3. When the sputtering time is from 0s to 80s, the substances exist on the surface of EAF dust are Cr2O3 and CrO3, and at the rest of the sputtering time, Cr2O3 is the only chromium-bearing substance existing on the surface of dust. When the sputtering time is from 0s to 80s, the substances exist on the surface of AOD dust are the same as the EAF dust. But at the rest of the sputtering time, Cr2O3 or FeCr2O4 are the chromium-bearing species.