Fast analysis of inorganic wood preservatives using laser-induced plasma emission spectrometry

An apparatus for the fast analysis of inorganic wood preservatives based on laser-induced plasma emission spectrometry (LIPS) has been developed. The device has been calibrated and tested under field screening conditions for application to waste wood. The analysis for the typical elements contained in common wood preservatives like copper, chromium, boron, mercury, tin, and arsenic has shown a good agreement between the results of classical chemical analysis by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and laser-induced plasma emission spectrometry. Because of the internal calibration relative to the 392.0693-nm carbon II emission line (3p² P⁰−4s ²S), the influence of the humidity and the species of the wood on the results of the analysis is negligible. The present detection limits of our method for the common inorganic wood preservatives are, except for mercury, already sufficient for application in the recycling industry. Furthermore, LIPS allows a very high spatial resolution. Therefore, we were able to demonstrate on several different samples that the concentration of wood preservatives at the surface is considerably increased. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Field Analyt Chem Technol 3: 185–192, 1999.