RESUMEN
Unsupported 210Pb (Pbexc) is generated in air and is subsequently deposited on soil surface. The Pbexc can be used for sediment dating, soil erosion/sedimentation and air mass studies. In many cases, 210Pb activity determination (gamma ray 46.5â¯keV) cannot be performed due to the lack of efficiency calibration curve, especially when radioactive patron source is not available. This work presents an alternative methodology to obtain the 210Pb activity values, based on the activity definition and the attenuation coefficient determinations and assuming that soil samples coming from depth higher than 25â¯cm only contain 210Pb generated in the soil (Pbexc free, i.e., for those soil layers the 210Pb activity is equal to the 226Ra activity, at secular equilibrium). The proposed methodology was evaluated using soils from La Plata region, Argentina. The same soil samples were also analyzed in a second laboratory by the conventional methodology. The obtained results indicated that the proposed procedure can be used as a good alternative in cases where a calibration sample is not available.
Asunto(s)
Radioisótopos de Plomo/análisis , Monitoreo de Radiación/métodos , Contaminantes Radiactivos del Suelo/análisis , Argentina , SueloRESUMEN
Pearson correlation coefficients between 40K, 226Ra and 232Th activities and the total Fe phase fractions yielded by Mössbauer spectroscopy have been calculated for soils of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Total fractions of Fe phases have been obtained from the relative fractions reported in previous works weighted by the Fe soil content and the recoilless-fraction of each Fe phase. An approximate method based on the relationship between the Mössbauer spectral absorption area (obtained from the 57Fe Mössbauer data) and the total Fe concentration (determined by colorimetric methods, after microwave assisted acid digestion of soil samples) has been used for the first time to determine the Fe concentration in soils with an accuracy of 15%. Protocol to extend the method for unknown samples is also discussed. The determined new coefficients differ from those reported previously. A significant and positive correlation between the total fraction of Fe2+ and the 40K activity values has been obtained. This result validates the hypothesis put forward in a previous work, i.e., that illite captures the 40K existing in the soil. In addition, with the new approximation, the Pearson correlation coefficients for the other natural radionuclides give values that indicate that the methodology reported here is appropriate to study the correlations between the activity values with the total fractions of Fe phases.
Asunto(s)
Hierro/análisis , Contaminantes Radiactivos del Suelo/análisis , Suelo/química , Espectroscopía de Mossbauer , ArgentinaRESUMEN
Inventories and vertical distribution of (137)Cs were determined in La Plata region undisturbed soils, Argentina. A mean inventory value of 891 ± 220 Bq/m(2) was established, which is compatible with the values expected from atmospheric weapon tests fallout. The study was complemented with pH, organic carbon fraction, texture and mineralogical soil analyses. Putting together Southern Hemisphere (137)Cs inventory data, it is possible to correlate these data with the mean annual precipitations. The large differences in (137)Cs concentration profiles were attributed to soil properties, especially the clay content and the pH values. A convection-dispersion model with irreversible retention was used to fit the activity concentration profiles. The obtained effective diffusion coefficient and effective convection velocity parameters values were in the range from 0.2 cm(2)/y to 0.4 cm(2)/y and from 0.23 cm/y to 0.43 cm/y, respectively. These data are in agreement with values reported in literature. In general, with the growth of clay content in the soil, there was an increase in the transfer rate from free to bound state. Finally, the highest transfer rate from free to bound state was obtained for soil pH value equal to 8.
Asunto(s)
Radioisótopos de Cesio/análisis , Contaminantes Radiactivos del Suelo/análisis , Silicatos de Aluminio/química , Argentina , Arcilla , Monitoreo de Radiación , Suelo/químicaRESUMEN
Surface and depth profile concentrations (down to 50 cm) of ²³²Th chain, ²²6Ra, and 4°K radionuclides were determined in undisturbed coastal and inland soils of La Plata city region, Argentina, through their gamma-ray activity using a high-purity Ge detector spectrometer. These results were compared with superficial activities determined in soils from the surroundings of the Centro Atómico Ezeiza (Ezeiza Atomic Center) located in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The hyperfine and magnetic Fe phase's properties of soil profiles were characterized by Mössbauer spectroscopy, magnetic hysteresis loops and AC magnetic susceptibility. No dependence of the activity of the ²³²Th natural chain on depth was found, whereas variations for ²²6Ra and 4°K activities were observed. Positive correlations, determined by the Pearson correlation coefficients, were established between 4°K, ²²6Ra and ²³²Th activity concentrations for the whole set of soil samples. The annual external equivalent dose for adults was similar for La Plata and Ezeiza regions, with average values of 0.08 ± 0.01 mSv and 0.06 ± 0.02 mSv, respectively. The thermal dependence of the AC magnetic susceptibility revealed the existence of magnetite and hematite. The Mössbauer spectra of all soils were made up of signals associated with α-Fe2O3, a paramagnetic relaxation component, and Fe³âº and Fe²âº doublets. In addition, the spectra of inland soils revealed the presence of Fe3O4. A negative correlation was found between the activity concentrations and the α-Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 relative fractions, whereas a positive correlation was found between the Fe³âº relative fraction and the 4°K activity.