Christine Vanhoof
Senior Researcher
As a senior researcher in VITO’s inorganic analytical laboratory, I specialise in inorganic analytical chemistry with more than 25 years of experience in X‑ray fluorescence (XRF). My work focuses on the development, optimisation, and application of analytical methods for determining inorganic elements in a wide variety of environmental and industrial matrices. I manage analytical services that support VITO’s multidisciplinary research programmes and numerous industrial collaborations.
Within the laboratory, I am responsible for the XRF department, covering both EDXRF and µ‑XRF. My broader expertise includes sample preparation, solid sample analysis (such as CHNS and carbon determinations), extraction and mineral-acid digestion protocols, analytical quantification, and a range of wet‑chemical techniques, including ion chromatography and chemiluminescence detection.
I act as an analytical expert for several Flemish agencies (OVAM, VMM, VLM, and the Department of Environment). I am responsible for the development, validation, and publication of inorganic analytical methods to be applied by recognized laboratories within the framework of Flemish environmental regulatory monitoring. I serve as an analytical expert in Flemish working groups on soil, waste, manure, and water analyses for inorganic parameters.
Since 2004, I have acted as the Belgian expert in environmental‑related CEN Technical Committees (e.g., CEN/TC 444, CEN/TC 223), contributing to the development, validation, and standardisation of EN ISO analytical procedures. In addition, since 2005 I have contributed annually to the Atomic Spectrometry Update (ASU) reviews, reporting on scientific and technological advancements in X‑ray fluorescence spectrometry and its specialised applications.
