Comparison of microwave digestion procedures for the determination of some elements in asphaltite ash using ICP-AES.

A microwave digestion procedure for asphaltite ash was developed in an attempt to facilitate routine analysis and obtain reproducible conditions or comparable results. The conditions of the most effective procedure for 0.1 g asphaltite ash samples are 1 ml of HNO3 + 3 ml of HCl + 1 ml of HF + 1 ml of deionized water as acid mixture and 15 min for digestion time. The digestion was accomplished in five stages applying continuously 90% to 20% of the microwave power and 20 to 100 psi of the pressure for 10 min of total time. Concentrations of selected elements, Cr, Co, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn were measured using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. The proposed method of digestion provided precise results with relative standard deviations generally less than 3% for investigated elements. Results for fly ash as standard reference material was in good agreement with certified values.