METHODS FOR SAMPLING AND INORGANIC ANALYSIS OF COAL U.S.
Geological Survey Bulletin 1823 Edited by D.W. Golightly and
F.O. Simon THE DETERMINATION OF MAJOR AND MINOR ELEMENTS IN COAL
ASH AND OF CHLORINE AND PHOSPHORUS IN WHOLE COAL BY X-RAY
FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETRY By R.G. Johnson, G.A. Sellers, and
S.L. Fleming, II Methods for the X-ray fluorescence
spectrometric analysis of 11 elements in coal ash (Na, Mg, Al,
Si, P, S, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, and Fe) and of two elements in whole
coal (Cl and P) are described. Coal-ash samples are fused with
lithium tetraborate to produce glass disks; whole-coal samples
are briquetted with a cellulose binder prior to analysis.
Calibration for all elements in both whole coal and coal ash is
accomplished by using a simple linear regression of X-ray
intensity versus concentration. Silicate rock standards are used
for calibration in coal ash analysis, and whole-coal analyses
are based on coal standards from the National Bureau of
Standards (NBS), on coals analyzed by independent method