ICP ANALYSIS OF CEMENT

The determionation of silica, alumina, magnesium, calcium, and iron oxides is of great interest in cement factories. In the past, classical chemical methods were used which had the disadvantage of being time-consuming and difficult to use on a routine basis. Ai many sites, atomic absorption spectrophotometry is now well-accepted for its sensitivity and accuranci(1). However, the ICP emission technique is very fast and free of chemical interference, as well as having better sensivity for refractory elements and a wide range of linearity. Moreover, AA requires optimized operating conditions to minimize chemical interferences and to adapt sensitivity to an actual samples range. The purpose of this work was to evaluate ICP and AA for the analysis of various materials and products of a cement factory on a routine basis.