Specific problems of environmental protection in Central Europe and dense industrialization in Poland that is powered by traditional power plants and having developed heavy industry, have resulted in a need for a special environmental protection policy. Reliable methods are needed to analyze low concentrations of trace elements in pollutants existing in atmospheres, precipitates, ground waters and soils. A knowledge of trace-elements concentration can help in setting industrial limits for emission, permanent control of emission perturbations and finally epidemiological studies. During recent years, methods based on the x-ray fluorescence phenomenon were being widely developed in Poland. Now due to the development of cyclotrons, proton-induced x-ray emission appears to be very useful for pollutant control.

The assessment of the potential environmental and toxicological effects of particulate material emitted to the atmosphere requires detailed physical and chemical characterization of the particles. One of the most widely studied types of pollutant particles is coal fly ash as a byproduct of coal combustion. These particles are inhomogeneous, highly variable, span a broad range of sizes and have diverse morphologies.

It has been shown that numerous toxic trace elements tend to increase in bulk concentrations with decreasing particle size (1).

Zeolites-based fluid cracking catalysts are used in petroleum refining. Zeolites are crystalline alumina silicates with a framework based on extensive three-dimensional network of oxygen, and cations which occupy nonframework positions. The distribution of silicon and aluminum atoms within the framework determines many important properties of zeolites, most notably catalytic, absorptive capacity, acidity, stability, etc. For the zeolite scientist, information obtained from the determination of silca:alumina ratio (SAR) and soda:alumina ratio (NAR) during crystallization, dealumination and cationic exchange is important for the optimization of preparative techniques and development of new products.

One of the most important properties that characterizes alumina is its elemental composition. Although XRF has been applied to the analysis of aluminas for the past three decades, special aluminas have always presented a maj or challenge. Moreover, only recently did it become possible to analyze for light elements such as Na. Two new sample preparation techniques for elemental analysis of aluminas by XRF were developed. One is based on briquetted powders, another involves fused samples. Their advantages and limitations will be presented. In the case of fusion one analytical program was applied to aII types of aluminas, The performance of each method will be discussed.