title: Determination of low levels of free fibres of chrysotile in contaminated soils by X-ray diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy.
abstract: A new analytical method for the determination of low levels (0.01-1 wt%) of free fibres of chrysotile in contaminated clayey, sandy and sandy-organic soils is described. The detection limit of 0.01 wt% is reached with an enrichment of free fibres of chrysotile in the sample using a standard laboratory elutriator for sedimentation analysis. The chrysotile quantitative determination is performed both by X-ray powder diffraction, using the internal standard and reference intensity ratio methods, and by Fourier-transform infrared absorption spectroscopy. The procedure can be successfully applied to different soils after removal, by a thermal treatment, of the matrix components which can interfere. This straightforward method fulfils the request of public institutions and private companies for an appropriate quantitative determination of chrysotile-free fibres in contaminated soils.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica G. Ciamician, Alma Mater Studiorum Universita' di Bologna e ISOF-CNR, Via Selmi 2, 40126, Bologna, Italia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Foresti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gazzano
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Gualtieri
authors.forename: I G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Lesci
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lunelli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pecchini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Renna
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Roveri
mesh_terms: D017632:Asbestos, Serpentine / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D008832:Microchemistry / Q000379:methods*; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared / Q000379:methods*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D017632:Asbestos, Serpentine; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants