IN-SITU CHARACTERIZATION TECHNIQUE FOR SCREENING CONTAMINATED SOILS

An innovative field sampling system for screening contaminated soils h as been developed using laser ablation coupled with inductively couple d plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (LA-ICP-AES) technology. This sa mpling approach provides in-situ real-time analysis of trace inorganic elements and is conducted through a mobile testing facility that cons ists of an instrumentation vehicle called the Mobile Demonstration Lab oratory for Environmental Screening Technologies (MDLEST) and an attac hed trailer Failed the Robotic Sampling Accessory (RSA). The RSA provi des automated sampling capabilities through an attached three-degree-o f-freedom robot that is equipped with a surface-sampling probe. The MD LEST-RSA was successfully tested at a Department of Energy (DOE) site in Fernald, Ohio, during the fall of 1992. This paper provides a descr iption of the analysis technique, the MDLEST and RSA, and results of t he field demonstration. In addition, benefits, limitations, and future plans are also discussed.