Coal Ash and Lead Paint Analysis
We combine SEM, EDS, and optical microscopy to identify whether a soil sample has the presence of coal ash.
- We follow the Coal Ash Standard Operating Procedure Quality Control Manual
- The techniques are performed according to the microscopy methods described in the white paper prepared by the Licensed Site Professionals’ (LSP’s) Association entitled “Methods for Evaluating Applications of the Coal Ash and Wood Ash Exemption under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan” dated October 19, 1999 and prepared by the LSP Association, One Walnut Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02108-3616.
These techniques can confirm the presence of;
- Coal
- Coal Flyash
- Coal Ash
- Coal Slag
- Wood Ash
- Coal Tar
- Asphalt
- Oil Soot
At the SEMTech Solutions Analytical Test Lab we analyze coal ash, fly ash and wood ash from soil samples.
By using various microscopic techniques, we can positively identify the presence of coal, coal ash, wood ash, fly ash, asphalt and other materials so that we can differentiate between hazardous and non-hazardous sites.
Numerous state and federal regulations allow for exemptions when coal, fly, or wood ash are present in the soil and the techniques we use in the lab provides the information needed to make that determination.
The instruments we use in our laboratory consist of stereo microscopes, Polarized Light Microscope (PLM), Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM), and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS).
