In this research the spatial distribution characterization of niobium phosphate into bleached cellulose was carried out combining processing and images analysis obtained by SEM and statistical methodologies. The objective is to investigate the deposit composition and phosphate morphology by using complementary analytical techniques. Based on the proposed methodology, parameters of niobium phosphate agglomerates (size and shape) and fiber morphology were evaluated depending on gray-levels (average luminance and fiber type): fiber characteristics (morphology) were measured. For the test method proposed, a specific region of cellulose/NbOPO(4)center dot nH(2)O composite was analyzed. This method involves area fraction measuring with a conditional probabilistic analysis. The analyzed fields were divided in different ways, called 'Scanning' and as a result, in quantitative terms, the phosphate deposition was described as spatial distribution homogeneous or inhomogeneous. The quantitative microscopy as a non-destructive testing provides relevant information when it is combined with statistic analysis. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)