Determination of elements in some lichens growing in Giresun and Ordu province (Turkey) using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

The concentration of five different elements in six lichens species of different regions in Giresun and Ordu (Turkey) was determined using the energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence method. A radioisotope excited X-ray fluorescence analysis using the method of multiple standard addition is applied to the elemental analysis of lichens. An annular 50 mCi 241Am radioactive source and an annular 50 mCi 55Fe radioactive source were used for excitation of characteristic K X-rays. An Si(Li)detector which has a 147 eV full-width at half-maximum for 5.9 keV photons was used for intensity measurements. A qualitative analysis of spectral peaks showed that the samples contained potassium, calcium, titanium, iron, and barium.