Thermo Instruments is measuring mercury from the beginning to the end of the cement process. The mercury in the raw limestone is measured with X-ray spectrometry.  The stack gas mercury is measured by the Thermo mercury CEM system.  Cement plants are forced to use the limestone in the vicinity of the plant as a raw material.  Transportation costs are too high to consider imports from other areas. The amount of mercury in the limestone varies greatly from one locality to another.  When the limestone is heated virtually, all the mercury is vaporized and would exit in the stack except for capture in the air pollution control equipment.

At the Achema show in Frankfurt, Germany last week, we learned about the extensive use of Thermo XRF spectrometers in cement plants. Here is the unit on display:

Characteristics of the instrument were explained by Franz Mollekopf, regional sales manager, Central Europe for OES & XRF-Spectroscopy, Scientific Instruments, Thermo Fisher Scientific. The ARL PERFORM’X is a highly precise system that offers users a choice of analyzed area size ranging from 35 mm to 0.5 mm. By measuring the standard chemical composition of samples, the system facilitates elemental small spot analysis, enabling analysts to pinpoint focus on specimen sections as small as 0.5 mm. The advanced X-ray mapping and sample visualization capabilities of the instrument also enable users to identify and characterize previously unidentifiable elemental inclusions, defects and gradients in samples. The ARL PERFORM’X has the capacity to handle samples of many sizes and types including solids, liquids, powders and thin films, providing laboratories with advanced versatility.

ARL PERFORM’X helps solve composition problems in demanding industrial process and quality applications, making it ideal for analytical laboratories in the geochemistry, chemical, petrochemical, materials science and process control industries where speed, reliability and flexibility are essential. With dual sample loading, the ARL PERFORM’X processes more than sixty samples per hour, offering rapid and precise analysis of up to eighty-four elements. The system also provides an innovative sample recognition capability that ensures easy and safe loading of solids and liquids. In addition, the instrument offers long-term stability and repeatability of results.