USE OF ELECTRON BACKSCATTER DIFFRACTION FOR RAPID IDENTIFICATION OF MINERAL PARTICULATE: EXAMPLES FROM UNPOLISHED SPECIMENS OF ASBESTOS REFERENCE MATERIALS, ZEOLITES, AND AIRBORNE PARTICULATES

We will present the results of analysis of a variety of materials including asbestos reference materials, zeolites, and airborne particulate samples and show that electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is a powerful tool for phase identification of mineral particulate samples. We will also show various sample preparation methods, none of which require the samples to be polished. Natural occurrences of asbestos can pose significant challenges to standardized analytical methods designed for the built environment and we will present a discussion of various methods and challenges associated with routine asbestos analysis. We will show how EBSD (and transmission EBSD, tEBSD) data can be collected from samples prepared both on membrane filter substrates and on carbon support films to exemplify how the technique can be used in conjunction with standardized analytical protocols for asbestos containing materials. Using EBSD to aid in phase identification can minimize the uncertainty associated with identification amphibole, pyroxene, and zeolite minerals that exists in current standardized asbestos analytical methods.