title: Determination of water-soluble hexavalent chromium in clinker samples by wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry after concentration in activated layers.
abstract: The determination of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in cement-related material extracts is frequently monitored in cement industries to comply with the European Directive (2003/53/EC) that limits the use of cements containing more than 2 mg kg(-1) of water-soluble Cr(VI). In the present work, a rapid and simple method for the determination of water-soluble Cr(VI) in clinker samples has been developed. The analytical methodology is based on the combined use of a low cost Cr(VI) isolation procedure using activated layers followed by their analysis using wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) spectrometry. WDXRF instrumentation is a common tool used for determining the chemical composition of all materials involved in cement production and also for the quality control of the products produced in cement and concrete factories. Therefore, the presented methodology does not imply the use of additional instrumentation in cement-industries laboratories and can be used as a comparative method to the spectrophotometric reference (EN 196-10:2006). The analytical parameters evaluated (selectivity, limit of detection, linearity, and precision) prove to be suitable for the intended purpose, and the methodology has successfully been applied to determine water-soluble Cr(VI) in several clinker samples.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of X-Ray Analytical Applications, Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera, CSIC, Solé Sabarís s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. emargui@ija.csic.es
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marguí
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fontàs
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toribio
authors.forename: Manel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guillem
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Queralt
mesh_terms: D002857:Chromium / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D003252:Construction Materials / Q000032:analysis; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis; D012995:Solubility; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D002857:Chromium; C074702:chromium hexavalent ion