A Compact WDXRF Analyzer for Real-Time Monitoring of Heavy Metal Contaminants

78242S Long-term and continuous monitoring of heavy metal contaminants in DOE tanks or DOE landfills has long been of great interest to DOE. Existing technologies either have the required detection sensitivity but are not field deployable, or are field deployable but lack the detection sensitivity. This project will develop a compact, multi-element, x-ray analyzer that can perform automatic real-time measurements in the field with a laboratory level of detection sensitivity. The analyzer will be a unique wavelength-dispersive x-ray fluorescence system that employs advanced x-ray optics to significantly enhance system efficiency and thereby achieve superior performance with a low-power x-ray source. A benchtop system will be built in Phase I to experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach to meet DOE¿s need. Different samples containing elements of DOE interest will be analyzed, and the system performance will be evaluated. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The analyzer should provide the DOE with a solution for the real-time monitoring of heavy metal contamination in DOE tanks or landfills. The proposed approach also should find application in other environmental-related research and industries, such as metal contamination in soils, subsurface sediments, and groundwater. Additional applications include thin film analysis in the semiconductor industry, industrial process monitoring (for microelectronics, composite, ceramics, etc.), forensics, geochemistry, and medicine.