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METHODS
The particulate material in the samples was allowed to settle. The liquid and very
fine-grained suspended sediment was removed and stored and the settled fibres
and particulate material were dried in an oven at 60C. The dried material was then
o
weighed and examined by low-powered light microscopy, compound light
microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to determine the nature of any
characteristic features. Subsamples and characteristic features were photographed.
A subsample from sample B was analysed by X-ray microanalysis in order to
determine its elemental composition and a larva from sample B was submitted to a
consultant entomologist for identification and comment.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Sample Weights
The dried fibres and particulate matter from the three samples was weighed. The
results are shown in Table 1 below below:
Sample weight of dried
matter
A 0.714g
B 1.778g
C 0.584g
Table 1 dried sample
weights