Determination of Trace Elements in Paper by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence

Abstract

Detection of up to thirty trace elements present in paper, documents, prints, and watercolor paintings from x-ray fluorescence spectra demonstrates possibilities for determining which elements are present in the original paper, which were added by the papermaker, which were suspended or dissolved in the processing water, which were picked up from the processing equipment, which were added by the user of the paper, and on which side of two-sided printings (such as currency) do the various elements reside. Element densities in µg/cm 2 were determined in a group of American and European papers made between 1637 and 1900. Comparable data are also reported for modern paper in the form of United States currency, which was found to contain high concentrations of fugitive lead, barium, chromium, and iron, except for three issues of $1 bills made with experimental lead-free inks in 1969.

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