Gamma Spectrometric Analysis of Natural Radionuclides and Radiological Hazards in Ilmenite Sand

Esther Mutiara Santallum Ekklesia Tibalia, Farida Diyah Hapsari, Tamaratritania Citta Trisnantari, Geraldi Rahanra, Muhammad Ikhsan Taipabu

Abstract

Ilmenite sand, categorized as Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM), contains radionuclides derived from the uranium and thorium decay series. The present work investigates radionuclide concentrations in ilmenite sand collected from a mineral processing facility to evaluate associated radiological hazards using gamma spectrometry. Activity measurements were performed with a gamma spectrometry system calibrated for energy and efficiency using a Eu-152 reference source. Environmental background radiation was measured separately to correct spectral data during analysis. Prior to measurement, samples were dried, homogenized, and sealed in airtight containers to establish radioactive equilibrium between parent radionuclides and their progeny. Radionuclide activities were quantified based on characteristic gamma-ray peak energies. The measured activity concentrations were 472.98 Bq/kg for Ra-226, 302.20 Bq/kg for Th-232, and 10.68 Bq/kg for K-40. Radiological hazard parameters, including radium equivalent activity (Raeq), external hazard index (Hex), internal hazard index (Hin), and absorbed dose rate, were subsequently calculated. The estimated annual effective dose was 0.492 mSv/year, remaining below the recommended public exposure limit of 1 mSv/year. These findings indicate that, despite relatively elevated radionuclide activities, the resulting radiation exposure levels remain within acceptable safety limits. Overall, gamma spectrometry demonstrates reliable capability for radionuclide identification and radiological risk assessment in mineral-based materials.

Full Text:

PDF

References

UNSCEAR, “Sources and Effects of Ionizing Radiation,” United Nations, New York, NY, USA, Rep., 2008. [2] IAEA, “Radiation Protection and NORM Residue Management in the Production of Rare Earths,” Int. At. Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria, Safety Rep. Ser. No. 68, 2011. [3] G. F. Knoll, Radiation Detection and Measurement, 4th ed. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. [4] N. H. Abu-Samreh, K. M. Thabayneh, and F. I. Khrais, “Measurement of natural radioactivity in soil samples from Palestine,” Radiat. Meas., vol. 46, no. 12, pp. 1738–1741, Dec. 2011. [5] IAEA, “Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM IV),” Int. At. Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria, 2005. [6] M. Tzortzis and H. Tsertos, “Determination of thorium, uranium and potassium elemental concentrations in surface soils,” J. Environ. Radioact., vol. 77, pp. 325–338, 2004. [7] F. De Corte, The k₀-Standardization Method. Ghent, Belgium: Univ. of Gent, 2001. [8] H. Taskin, M. Karavus, P. Ay, A. Topuzoglu, S. Hindiroglu, and G. Karahan, “Radiological hazard assessment of natural radioactivity,” Radiat. Meas., vol. 44, pp. 390–403, 2009. [9] J. Beretka and P. J. Mathew, “Natural radioactivity of Australian building materials,” Health Phys., vol. 48, pp. 87–95, 1985. [10] N. A. El-Gamal et al., “Assessment of natural radioactivity in environmental samples,” Radiat. Meas., vol. 42, pp. 457–465, 2007. [11] A. El-Taher, “Gamma spectroscopic analysis and radiological hazard assessment,” Appl. Radiat. Isot., vol. 68, pp. 169–174, 2010. [12] M. S. Uosif and A. El-Taher, “Radiological hazard assessment of some Egyptian sediments,” J. Radiat. Res. Appl. Sci., vol. 1, pp. 9–17, 2008. [13] A. Boukhair, L. Belahbib, K. Azkour, H. Beddin, M. Benjelloun, and N. Nourreddine, “Measurement of natural radioactivity and radon exhalation rate in coal ash samples from a thermal power plant,” World J. Nucl. Sci. Technol., vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 153–160, 2016. [14] Mardimin, W. N. Willian, and Muzahar, “Analisis kandungan radionuklida alam pada sedimen di perairan Batam,” J. Ilmu Kelautan, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 1–10, 2014. [15] Suhardi, Mulyono, R. Rosidi, and T. Irianto, “Analisis radionuklida Ra-226 dan gamma total dalam pasir zirkon dengan metoda spektrometri gamma,” in Prosiding Seminar Penelitian dan Pengelolaan Perangkat Nuklir, 2012. [16] L. Zhang, E. I. Adeosun, and K. W. Chiu, “Hydrochloric acid behaviour of mechanically activated Panxi ilmenite,” Sep. Purif. Technol., vol. 73, no. 1, pp. 73–78, 2011. [17] W. Susetyo, Spektrometri Gamma dan Penerapannya dalam Analisis Pengaktifan Neutron. Yogyakarta, Indonesia: Gadjah Mada Univ. Press, 1988. [18] A. Nugrahenia and P. Dwijananti, “Penentuan aktivitas unsur radioaktif thorium yang terkandung dalam prototipe sumber radiasi Kaos Lampu Petromaks,” J. MIPA, vol. 35, no. 1, 2012.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/equilibrium.v10i1.116251

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.