With a geochemical abundance of approximately 0.003% in the Earth’s crust, cobalt is a relatively rare element. It is usually obtained as a by-product of copper and nickel mining, with 70% of the global production in 2021 originating from the Central African Copperbelt, making copper-cobalt ores the main source of cobalt.
Cobalt is an important component of alloys with high temperature stability as well as corrosion resistance, which are used e.g., in aircraft turbines and jet engines. With the advance of portable electronic devices and an increased demand for electronic vehicles, cobalt also became an important compound in cathode materials of lithium-ion batteries, resulting in an increasing demand for it.
In this report, the analysis of copper-cobalt ores using the SPECTROGREEN ICP-OES with dual side-on plasma observation was investigated. The report includes sample preparation, line selection, limits of detection for the trace elements and studies on precision and accuracy. Excellent results were obtained for the analysis of certified reference materials.
Learn more in this informative application report.