Identification of an unknown sludge
X-ray diffraction (XRD) is an excellent analysis technique for identifying unknown solid materials. The XRD pattern can act as a fingerprint to identify unknown materials in crystalline and semi-crystalline samples.
Figure 1 is a picture of a sludge presented from a deteriorated water pump.
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Figure 1: Sludge sample from water pump |
The X-ray diffraction pattern of this material (Figure 2), acquired using a
Rigaku MiniFlex II benchtop diffractometer, reveals that this sample contains both crystalline and
amorphous components. The broad humps in the pattern come from the amorphous
component(s) while the sharp peaks come
from the crystalline portion. By determining the location and intensity of the crystalline diffraction peaks and
matching to a known database of crystalline materials, it is possible to identify the crystalline component of the
sample.
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Figure 2: Phase ID of dried sludge sample |
In this case the peaks reveal that the material contains both calcium oxalate monohydrate and iron sulfide.
Tags: composition, MiniFlex II, powder XRD, non-destructive phase identification