Arc atomic emission analysis of the feedstock for production of metallurgical alumina

The analytical capabilities of the arc atomic emission analysis for determination the impurities in kaolin clays, the feedstock for producing metallurgical alumina, were studied. The analytical lines of the elements that are most free of interferences are selected. The conditions of the analysis and parameters of the spectrometer are determined: current strength, exposure, interelectrode distance, types and parameters of electrodes, weight of the sample. The detection limits and limits of determination of the following elements are specified: Ca, Cr, Cu, Ga, Mg, Mn, Mo, Nb, Ni, Pb, Sc, Ti, V, Y, Zn, Zr, La. The limits of determination are n x 10–5 – n x 10–6 wt.%. A comparative analysis of the samples of kaolin clays previously analyzed by another method in the framework of inter-method comparative tests is carried out. It is shown that there are no significant discrepancies between the results obtained by both two methods.