As a reaction to the new EU directives for end-of-life vehicles (ELV) and also for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), Spectro has developed a solution for heavy-metal analysis. The energy-dispersive XRF system Spectro Xepos meets the new requirements for determining cadmium, lead, mercury, and chromium at the limits for ELV and WEEE. The achieved average detection limit for Cd for measurements of granulated plastic polymers is 8 ppm. Thus, Xepos can measure comfortably below the limit (100 ppm) set by the ELV directive. Limits can also be optimally monitored for lead, mercury, and chromium. Thanks to the Spectro proprietary polarisation technology, the limits of detection for individual elements are improved by a factor of 4-7 versus conventional ED-XRF spectrometres. The Spextro Xepos performs a complete multi-element analysis for the heavy metals listed in the directives within 500 seconds and a cadmium-only analysis within 300 seconds. Sample preparation is simple: the material only has to be ground up and then measured as a bulk material. Spextro envisions the fields of application for the Xepos system to include the automotive industry and their suppliers, the electronics industry, cable importers, compounders, as well as the recycling industry. In the past, cadmium was used as a pigment and stabiliser. Cadmium still appears in high concentrations when recycling old equipment with long service lives and also in overseas imports.
