Determination of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen content in coals using WDXRF scattering spectra

A new approach to determination of light elements (C, O, H and N) content in coals by using Х-Ray fluorescence (XRF) method in combination with partial least squares (PLS) regression was studied. The quantitative content of light elements was determined by studying the spectra of coherent and incoherent scattering of the primary radiation of the X-Ray tube for compressed samples of coals of various brands. The study shows that hidden differences in the scattering spectra can be used for quantification of elements that are typically impossible to quantify using XRF. The information obtained can be used to improve semi-quantitative methods of XRF based on fundamental parameters (FP). [Display omitted] •Analysis of C, O, H, and N content in coals by WDXRF scattering spectra.•Differences in scattering spectra carry information about concentration of light elements.•The PLS model can improve FP analysis for samples with high light element content.