Sample preparation methods for the determination of plutonium and strontium in environmental samples by low level liquid scintillation counting and α-spectrometry

Abstract

SummaryTwo different methods – leaching and microwave assisted total dissolution – have been exploited for the treatment of environmental samples for the determination of plutonium and strontium. Leaching applied to reference materials demonstrated the procedure to be applicable for the recovery of technogenic Pu and Sr from environmental samples.For the measurement of the alpha emitters of plutonium, co-precipitation with calcium oxalate and ferric hydroxide and separation with anion exchange has been used. For preparation of α-spectrometry sources, co-precipitation with NdF

Determination of Pu isotope concentrations and isotope ratio by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: a review of analytical methodology

“…5,7,34 The average Pu isotope ratio observed in global fallout was 0.176 AE 0.014, 35 while the ratios in the marine samples of the Northwest Pacific and its marginal seas ranged from 0.18 to 0.34, which is a little higher than that of uncontaminated terrestrial samples. [36][37][38][39] There are several different techniques used for the determination of Pu isotopes, including alpha-spectrometry, [40][41][42] liquid scintillation counting (LSC), 5,43,44 fission track, 45,46 LX/-alpha ray measurement, 47,48 and mass spectrometry (MS). Of these, alpha-spectrometry is the most widely used analytical technique by virtue of its easy application and relatively low instrumentation cost.…”

Recommended Values of 239Pu, 240Pu and 239+240Pu Concentrations in Reference Material IAEA‐315 (Marine Sediment) Estimated by Thermal Ionisation Mass Spectrometry, Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry and Alpha Spectrometry

“…These results indicate that the analytical method used in this study is reliable. Analytical results for 239+240 Pu in NIST 4354 measured by alpha spectrometry were reported previously as (4.27 ± 0.52) Bq kg -1 (Solatie et al 2002) and (4.9 ± 0.4) Bq kg -1 (Yoon et al 2005). These results are higher than our results measured by TIMS and this tendency was also found in this study based on the comparison between mass spectrometry and alpha spectrometry.…”

Ultra-trace determination of 90Sr, 137Cs, 238Pu, 239Pu, and 240Pu by triple quadruple collision/reaction cell-ICP-MS/MS: Establishing a baseline for global fallout in Qatar soil and sediments

“…Betti et al (1996) measured the concentration of 90 Sr in soil, sediment, and grass (1 ppt) by glow discharge mass spectrometry (GDMS) and Wendt et al (1997) measured the concentrations of 89 Sr and 90 Sr in soil, grass, milk, and urine by resonance ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS) after chemical separation. Solatie et al (2002) measured the concentration of 90 Sr in soil samples near a nuclear facility by low-level liquid scintillation counting and reported its activity as being in the range of 6.2e96.5 Bq/kg. Maxwell et al (2013) reported that the concentration of 90 Sr in large soil samples collected from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant is 1.35 Bq/kg.…”