{"id":3970,"date":"2015-04-09T08:00:06","date_gmt":"2015-04-09T12:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/?p=3970"},"modified":"2026-01-13T16:45:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T16:45:57","slug":"can-mining-samples-be-analyzed-through-plastic-bags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/can-mining-samples-be-analyzed-through-plastic-bags\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Mining Samples Be Analyzed Through Plastic Bags?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can XRF be useful when utilizing plastic bags?\u00a0\"XRF Field Portable X-Ray Fluorescence<\/a> (FPXRF) instruments are used extensively in various stages of mining activity from grass roots exploration to exploitation, ore grade control, and even environmental investigations. FPXRF is a surface analysis technique that is capable of analyzing more than 30 elements in handheld XRF<\/a> and 42 elements in a portable field x-ray lab<\/a> in seconds in any type of sample, from soil to rock chips and drill cores. In some cases, depending on the sample type and required accuracy, clients may want to prepare their samples by grinding and pulverizing them, and then assaying them in a plastic bag. Depending on the thickness of bag and its composition, the number of x-rays reaching the detector will be lower than with direct assay. However, there are good correlations between lab assay data and portable XRF results.\u00a0 In such cases, calibration of the instrument using \u201ccal-factors\u201d is necessary. If an application does not need very low levels of detection, the analyzer can be calibrated to the sample through various media. A case study shows that for many applications, portable XRF analysis of samples through a plastic bag yields valuable and reliable data that can be used to make timely decisions in the field. The table above shows\u00a0the recommended bag type based on concentration and composition of samples used in this study. The concentration column shows the maximum concentration in the samples used in this study. Limits of Detection (LOD) are shown for each bag type using Mining Mode. See the Effects of Paper and Plastic Bags on the Performance of Portable XRF Analyzers Application Note<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>for more details, including methods, results, and spectra.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can XRF be useful when utilizing plastic bags?\u00a0 Field Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (FPXRF) instruments are used extensively in various stages of mining activity from grass roots exploration to exploitation, ore grade control, and even environmental investigations. FPXRF is a surface analysis technique that is capable of analyzing more than 30 elements in handheld XRF and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":9048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[225],"tags":[],"division":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3970","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general","8":"entry"},"_selected_authors":[1047],"_selected_reviewers":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCan Mining Samples Be Analyzed Through Plastic Bags?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Depending on the thickness of bag and its composition, the number of x-rays reaching the detector will be lower than with direct assay. 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Download Periodic Table.\u00a0 \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Elemental\/Geochemical Analysis"","block_context":{"text":"Elemental\/Geochemical Analysis","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/elemental-geochemical-analysis\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"halloween scene with plastic pumpkin and candy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/No-Tricks-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/No-Tricks-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/No-Tricks-.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/No-Tricks-.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/No-Tricks-.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13986,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/best-practices-for-accurate-in-situ-geochemical-analysis\/","url_meta":{"origin":3970,"position":1},"title":"Best Practices for Accurate In Situ Geochemical Analysis","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"March 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In situ geochemical analysis refers to elemental testing performed directly on geological materials in their natural location, avoiding the delays and costs associated with laboratory testing.\u00a0 While in situ geochemical analysis delivers immediate elemental data, the reliability of those results depends heavily on proper field methodology. Portable analytical technologies used\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Exploration"","block_context":{"text":"Exploration","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/exploration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mining truck on a dirt road in the Andes, Chile (near Embalse El Yeso, Caj\u00f3n del Maipo, San Jos\u00e9 de Maipo)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-2222354034.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-2222354034.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-2222354034.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-2222354034.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-2222354034.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-2222354034.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13544,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/did-you-read-these-mining-and-minerals-articles-yet\/","url_meta":{"origin":3970,"position":2},"title":"Did You Read These Mining and Minerals Articles Yet?","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"December 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"According to Google, here are the Top 10 read articles this year from Advancing Mining. 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As project timelines tighten and operational costs increase, organizations can no longer afford delays caused by traditional laboratory testing workflows. 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