AbstractThe Refuse-Fired Steam Generating Facility (RFSGF) funded jointly by NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and the City of Hampton is presently in operation at the NASA/Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The facility b u m s approximately 200 tons/day of refuse and supplies approximately 170x103 tons/year of steam at 350 psig to the Langley Center. Concentrations of trace elements in the bottom ash and in the ash from the electrostatic precipitators were determined using the Murray State Polarized X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (PXFS), The PXFS uses x-rays from a Phillips PW1140/96 x-ray generator in a double scattering process to make quantitative measurements on elements in pressed briquette samples. The double scattering process is used to produce polarized x-rays for excitation of the samples, Minimum detectable limits (MDL) of 1-3 ppm are achieved for elements with Z = 26 to 42. Lower Z elements have significantly higher MDL's; the lowest Z element detected, sulfur, has an MDL of 100 ppm. Elements with Z's higher than 42 have MDL's in the range of 4-10 ppm. Elements detected in the RFSGF ash were S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, Sr, Zr, Sn, Sb, and Pb. The concentrations ranged from a few ppm to several mg/g.