Radionuclide concentration: The coal ash effect

Abstract

Radionuclide concentrations in coal ash, soil mixed with coal ash and soil were determined using the gamma spectroscopic method. The average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in coal ash samples were found as 35.0, 5.8, and 109.4 Bq/kg, respectively. The average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in soil mixed with coal ash samples varied from 21.2 to 30.8, 48.6 to 82.7, and 162.5 to 180.1 Bq/kg, respectively. The activity concentrations of radionuclides from the non-mixed soil area, which serves as a control to this study ranged from 123.95 to 128.82, 16.33 to 18.38, and 46.63 to 50.30 Bq/kg, respectively for radionuclides 40K, 226Ra, and 232Th, respectively. From the radiological calculations, it was found that the use of coal ash as a soil additive contributed slightly to the radionuclide concentrations of the area under study. Key words: Radionuclide, coal ash, radium equivalent, external and internal hazard index.