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Elemental Analysis in Energy: Reducing Emissions and Improving Safety

May 28, 2025

Elemental analysis plays a vital role in the energy industry, enabling producers to ensure fuel quality, reduce emissions, and maintain equipment safety. As global standards tighten around air pollution and environmental impact, accurate detection of elements like carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, and trace metals is essential. This blog explores how elemental analysis supports sustainability and safety goals in the energy sector, and how ATS-Scientific's analytical instruments help companies stay compliant and efficient.

Why Elemental Analysis Matters in Energy

Whether you're refining crude oil, processing biomass, or operating thermal power plants, knowing the elemental composition of materials is critical. Elemental data informs decisions across:

  • Emissions Control: Sulfur and nitrogen content directly relate to SOx and NOx emissions. Monitoring these levels helps facilities meet EPA and ISO emission standards.

  • Fuel Quality Assurance: The carbon and hydrogen content of fuels determines their calorific value and combustion efficiency.

  • Equipment Longevity and Safety: Elements like chlorine and sulfur can cause corrosion in turbines, boilers, and pipelines. Early detection prevents equipment damage.

Key Analytical Techniques and Instruments

Combustion Elemental Analyzers (CHNS/O)

Combustion analyzers use high-temperature furnaces to oxidize samples, converting C to CO₂, H to H₂O, S to SO₂, and N to NOx for quantification. ATS-Scientific supplies robust systems for determining:

  • Carbon/Sulfur (C/S): Induction furnace-based analyzers (e.g. ELEMENTRAC CS-i) provide fast, high-accuracy measurements for coal, coke, oils, and other solid fuels.

  • Hydrogen/Nitrogen/Oxygen (H/N/O): Resistance furnace analyzers measure volatile content and oxidation levels critical for alternative fuels and combustibles.

  • CHNS/O Combos: Systems like the CHS-580A offer simultaneous analysis of multiple elements in organics, ideal for fuel and feedstock characterization.

X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectroscopy

XRF is a non-destructive technique that detects elements based on their characteristic X-ray emissions. ATS offers XRF systems via a subsidiary, which analyze sulfur, chlorine, and heavy metals in solid and liquid fuels. These systems are widely used for:

  • Screening petroleum products for sulfur (ASTM D4294)

  • Monitoring chlorine levels in biomass and waste-derived fuels

  • Determining ash composition in coal and coke

Direct Mercury Analyzers (DMA)

Mercury is a major environmental and occupational hazard. ATS’s direct mercury analyzers (e.g. DMA-80) offer thermal decomposition and atomic absorption techniques to detect trace mercury in coal, fly ash, oil, and sludge without sample digestion. These instruments comply with EPA Method 7473.

Regulatory and Industry Applications

ATS’s elemental analysis solutions are aligned with industry-standard methods:

  • ASTM D3176: Proximate and ultimate analysis of coal and coke

  • ASTM D4294: Sulfur in petroleum and diesel by XRF

  • EPA Method 7473: Mercury in solids and liquids

  • ISO 16994 / ISO 29541: Biomass carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen analysis

Industries served include:

  • Thermal power generation

  • Oil and gas refining

  • Bioenergy production

  • Environmental monitoring

  • Petrochemicals and additives

Data Integrity, Automation, and Safety

Modern elemental analyzers from ATS include features that support:

  • Automation: Autosamplers for high-throughput labs (up to 130 positions)

  • Integrated Software: User-friendly interfaces with compliance-ready reporting

  • Safety Features: Enclosed furnace systems, automated leak checks, and exhaust controls

  • Calibration and Quality Control: Use of certified reference materials (CRMs) and instrument verification routines

These features help labs manage larger sample volumes while maintaining analytical accuracy and traceability.

Interested in Elemental Analysis?

As the energy sector adapts to environmental demands and emerging fuel sources, elemental analysis becomes increasingly central to operations. Accurate data on carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, mercury, and trace metals ensures fuel quality, reduces emissions, and protects both equipment and personnel.

ATS-Scientific delivers high-performance elemental analyzers—from CHNS/O combustion units to mercury-specific AAS and sulfur-detecting systems—designed for rugged industrial use and regulatory compliance. Backed by expert support, automation capabilities, and industry-standard alignment, ATS tools empower energy labs to make informed, sustainable decisions with confidence.