Development and investigation of an apparatus for standard preparation of environmental samples

Abstract

An apparatus for preparing particulate matter (PM) standards has been developed. Investigation and characterization of the test sample standard reference material (SRM) coal fly ash (CFA) 1633b standards prepared using this apparatus were carried out using a combination of instrumental analysis techniques. These include solution nebulization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SN-ICP-MS), laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The results showed that homogeneous PM standards could be prepared that have potential for use in environmental monitoring of industrial emissions.