Determination of bromine, chlorine, sulphur and phosphorus in peat by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry combined with single-element and multi-element standard addition

Bromine (20-40 ppm), chlorine (200-500 ppm), sulphur (0.2-3%) and phosphorus (300-1000 ppm) in peat have been determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRFS) combined with the standard-addition method. Chlorine, sulphur and phosphorus have also been determined by other methods and agreement between the results is good. Theoretical calculations based on the Sherman equation were made to validate the linearity of the standard-addition curves. A multi-element standard-addition technique has been tested with addition of all elements at the same time. The results for chlorine were high but after correction for the difference in attenuation coefficient between the sample and added compound the results agreed with those from single-element standard addition.