Improved sample preparation method for environmental plutonium analysis by ICP-SFMS and alpha-spectrometry

Critical comparison of radiometric and mass spectrometric methods for the determination of radionuclides in environmental, biological and nuclear waste samples

“…While in the alpha spectrometric determination of 238 Pu (5.50 MeV), the interference from the 228 MeV), so that the daughter product, to reach secular equilibrium with 228 Th. Varga et al [280] compared alpha spectrometry and ICP-SFMS, a comparable detection limits were obtained for 239,240 Pu by two techniques (0.1-0.2 mBq).…”

“…Mass spectrometric techniques such as TIMS [275], AMS [276][277], RIMS [97,278], and ICP-MS [64,[279][280][282][283] have also been used for the determination of Pu isotopes. During the last decade, the use of ICP-MS has gained a increased interest as an alternative to alpha spectrometry because of the good sensitivity, short analytical time and 239 Pu -240 Pu - 242 Pu isotopic information which are difficult to obtain through alpha spectrometry due either to overlapping peaks of 239 Pu at low levels (fg-pg range).…”

Validation of Bulk Analysis with Simulated Swipe Samples Containing Ultra-Trace Amounts of Uranium and Plutonium Using MC-ICP-MS

“…The total amounts and average isotopic compositions of nuclear materials in a whole swipe sample can be estimated from this technique, and can reveal the presence of undeclared nuclear activities. [1][2][3][4] Environmental samples containing nuclear materials are typically collected with cotton swipes by authorized inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and distributed to the network of analytical laboratories (NWAL). Generally, the analytical procedures for bulk analysis can be divided into three parts: 1) chemical pretreatment for total digestion of the sample, 2) chemical separation for obtaining the pure elements (uranium and plutonium in most cases), and 3) quantification and isotopic measurements based on mass spectrometry or other analytical techniques.…”

Rapid determination of plutonium in water samples using vacuum box system separation and low background liquid scintillation counter measurement

“…As an a-emitter, 239+240 Pu can also be measured by a-spectrometry with the advantages of easy application and relatively low instrument expenses. 21,22 However, the detection of Pu with a-spectrometry requires relatively long counting times (usually 1-4 days) and is not suitable for emergency situations. With the improvement of instrument detectors, LSC could offer the function of a/bdiscrimination and could be applied for Pu measurement.…”