Characteristics of the calibration curves of copper for the rapid sorting of steel scrap by means of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy under ambient air atmospheres.

For the rapid and precise sorting of steel scrap with relatively high contents of copper, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a promising method. It has several advantages such that it can work under ambient air atmospheres, and specimens can be tested without any pretreatment, such as acid digestion, polishing of the surface of the specimens, etc. For the application of LIBS for actual steel scrap, we obtained emission spectra by an LIBS system, which was mainly comprised of an Nd:YAG laser, an Echelle-type spectrometer, and an ICCD detector. The standard reference materials (SRMs) of JISF FXS 350-352, which are Fe-Cu binary alloy and have certified concentrations of copper, were employed for making calibration lines. Considering spectral interferences from the emission lines of the iron matrix in the alloys, Cu I lines having wavelengths of 324.754 and 327.396 nm could be chosen. In five replicate measurements of each SRM, shorter delay times after laser irradiation and longer gate widths for detecting the transient emission signal are suggested to be the optimal experiment parameters. In the determination process, utilizing the calibration line from Cu I 327.396 nm was better because of less spectral interference. By using 200 pulsed laser shots for the measurement sequence, a limit of detection of 0.004 Cu at% could be obtained.