On the direct measurement of 226Ra and 228Ra using 3M Empore™ RAD disk by liquid scintillation spectrometry

Selectivity analysis of 99Tc determination by LSC in the field of nuclear decommissioning

In this work, two Tc radiochemical isolation methods—a conventional method by Triskem TEVA® resin and a rapid method by Empore™ Tc Rad Disk—are compared in the field of nuclear decommissioning and 99Tc assessment. The conventional method results more selective than the rapid one, being able to remove almost 100% of the main radiological interferers with the exception of the 90Y; however, the rapid method obtains higher chemical yields (97% vs. 80%) and slightly lower detection limits (0.025 Bq vs. 0.030 Bq) than the conventional. Both methods are similar with regards to equipment and reagent costs.

226Ra and 137Cs determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: state of the art and perspectives including sample pretreatment and separation steps

Achieving precise and accurate quantification of radium (²²⁶Ra) and cesium (¹³⁷Cs) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is of particular interest in the field of radiological monitoring and more widely in environmental and biological sciences. However, the accuracy and sensitivity of the quantification depend on the analytical strategy implemented. Eliminating interferences during the sample handling step and/or during the analysis step is critical since presence of matrix elements can lead to spectral and non-spectral interferences in ICP-MS. Consequently, before the ICP-MS analysis, multiple sample preparation approaches have been applied to purify and/or pre-concentrate environmental and biological samples containing radium and cesium through years, such as (co)-precipitation, solid phase extraction (SPE) or dispersive SPE (dSPE). Separation steps using liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis can also be useful in complement with the abovementioned sample preparation techniques. The most attractive sample handling technique remains SPE but efficiency of the extraction procedures is currently limited by sorbent specificity. Indeed, with the recent advances in ICP-MS instrumentation, it becomes indispensable to eliminate residual interferences and improve sensitivity. It is in this direction that it will be possible to meet analytical challenges, e.g. analyzing radium and cesium at concentrations below the pg L^-1 range in complex matrices of small volumes, as they are found for instance in pore waters or in biological samples. Development of new innovative sorbents based for example on hybrid and nanostructured materials has been reported with the aim of enhancing sorbent specificity and/or capacity. In the present review, the performances of the different analytical approaches are discussed, followed by an overview of applications.

A review of the analytical methodology to determine Radium-226 and Radium-228 in drinking waters

Radium-228 (228Ra) and Radium-226 (226Ra) isotopes in drinking water are significant from the aspect of radiation protection and human health. In this paper, the three most common preconcentration methods, i.e.coprecipitation, absorption and evaporation, were reviewed with emphasis on routinely measurement techniques. The reviewed measurement techniques include low background γ-spectrometry, α-spectrometry and liquid scintillation counting. The γ-spectrometry technique is the good selection, when the maximum sensitivity is considered. The Environmental Protection Agency guideline has provided the maximum concentration level 0.74 Bq/L for 226Ra and 228Ra. Also, the World Health Organization guideline limit is 1 Bq/L and 0.1 Bq/L for 226Ra and 228Ra, respectively.

Simultaneous determination of 226Ra, 228Ra and 210Pb in drinking water using 3M Empore™ RAD disk by LSC-PLS

A procedure for the rapid and simultaneous determination of ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra and ²¹⁰Pb in drinking water by means of extraction with a 3M Empore™ Radium RAD disk and liquid scintillation spectrometry is described. The selective elution of ²¹⁰Pb from the RAD disk and a multivariate calibration using partial least squares regression (PLS) are tested as methods to avoid overlap in the spectra between ²²⁸Ra and ²¹⁰Pb. The validated procedure was tested with mixtures of radionuclides and interlaboratory materials; finally, it was applied to natural waters.

Characterization of the natural radioactivity of the first deep geothermal doublet in Flanders, Belgium

Deep geothermal energy is a local energy resource that is based on the heat generated by the Earth. As the heat is continuously regenerated, geothermal exploitation can be considered as a renewable and, depending on the techniques used, a sustainable energy production system. In September 2015, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) started drilling an exploration well targeting a hot water reservoir at a depth of about 3km on the Balmatt site near Mol. Geothermal hot water contains naturally occurring gases, chemicals and radionuclides at variable concentrations. The actual concentrations and potentially related hazards strongly depend on local geological and hydrogeological conditions. This paper summarizes the radiological characterization of several rock samples obtained from different depths during the drilling, the formation water, the salt and the sediment fraction. The results of our analyses show low values for the activity concentration for uranium and thorium in the formation water and in the precipitate/sediment fraction. Also, the activity concentrations of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po are low in these samples and the activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra is dominant. From the analysis of the rock samples, it was found that the layer above the reservoir has a higher uranium and thorium concentration than the layer of the reservoir, which on the other hand contains more radium than the layer above it.