Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy for fast elemental analysis and sorting of metallic scrap pieces using certified reference materials

A setup utilizing laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for performing elemental analysis in order to classify metallic samples is currently under construction. The setup uses short laser pulses to locally ablate the sample and create luminous plasmas. The emitted light is analyzed spectroscopically for instantaneous determination of the elemental composition. A table-top system based on a compact CCD spectrometer has been constructed and combined with fast software in order to test the concept of remote, single shot material classification with LIBS. Certified reference materials with known elemental compositions were used in the laboratory tests. We report on successful laboratory tests in which samples were classified using an analysis based on optical emission following a single laser pulse and with an operating distance of approximately 1 m. Details regarding field tests of this versatile and promising technique are discussed. - Highlights: ► We give a short background to the area of metallic scrap recycling. ► We present the development of an automatic LIBS-based system for material analysis. ► We present experimental data from laboratory results. ► We discuss the possibility of surface cleaning through laser ablation with this setup.