Elemental Analysis of Ash using X-Ray Fluorescence Technique

Abstract

In thermal plants, when pulverized coal is burnt to generate heat, the residue contains 80 per cent fly ash and 20 per cent bottom ash. The ash is carried away through chimney and collected at economizer, air pre-heater and electrostatic precipitator (ESP) hoppers. We analyze the coal fly ash samples by using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. In the present analysis, we observed that the major elements present in the ash samples are Si, Al & Fe and the other minor constituents are Ti, P, S, Mg, Cl, K, Ca, Zn & Sr. The elemental analysis of these samples will be informative to use the fly ash for various applications such as cement manufacturing, ceramic production and as a secondary source in recovery of valuable elements.