An effective method for the determination of 106Ru in seawater by γ-spectrometry

Jing Lin; Tao Yu; Suiyuan Chen; Chuyue Liu; Dekun Huang

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106691

An effective method for the determination of ¹⁰⁶Ru in seawater by γ-spectrometry

J Environ Radioact. 2021 Oct:237:106691. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106691. Epub 2021 Jul 1.

Authors

Jing Lin¹, Tao Yu¹, Suiyuan Chen², Chuyue Liu³, Dekun Huang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Marine Isotopic Technology and Environmental Risk Assessment, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resource, Xiamen, 361005, China; Observation and Research Station of Island and Coastal Ecosystem in the Western Taiwan Strait, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China; Fujian Provincial Station for Field Observation and Research of Island and Costal Zone in Zhangzhou, Zhangzhou, 363216, China.
² Laboratory of Marine Isotopic Technology and Environmental Risk Assessment, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resource, Xiamen, 361005, China; Observation and Research Station of Island and Coastal Ecosystem in the Western Taiwan Strait, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China; Fujian Provincial Station for Field Observation and Research of Island and Costal Zone in Zhangzhou, Zhangzhou, 363216, China; College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China.
³ Laboratory of Marine Isotopic Technology and Environmental Risk Assessment, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resource, Xiamen, 361005, China; Observation and Research Station of Island and Coastal Ecosystem in the Western Taiwan Strait, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China; Fujian Provincial Station for Field Observation and Research of Island and Costal Zone in Zhangzhou, Zhangzhou, 363216, China; College of Marine Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China.
⁴ Laboratory of Marine Isotopic Technology and Environmental Risk Assessment, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resource, Xiamen, 361005, China; Observation and Research Station of Island and Coastal Ecosystem in the Western Taiwan Strait, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China; Fujian Provincial Station for Field Observation and Research of Island and Costal Zone in Zhangzhou, Zhangzhou, 363216, China. Electronic address: dkhuang@tio.org.cn.

PMID: 34217046
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106691

Abstract

¹⁰⁶Ru is a product originating from the fission reactions of uranium (²³⁵U) and plutonium (²³⁹Pu). ¹⁰⁶Ru represents a potential source of radioactive marine contamination since it makes up 70-90% of the total radioactivity of liquid effluents from fuel reprocessing plants; thus, it is important to effectively determine the quantity of ¹⁰⁶Ru in the natural environment. In this study, a simple and effective method was developed for the determination of ¹⁰⁶Ru in seawater by γ-spectrometry using NiS coprecipitation. In addition, the amounts of S^2- and Ni²⁺ added, Ru³⁺ carrier addition, pH, salinity, and sample volume were tested, and accordingly, optimal conditions were proposed. With the optimized conditions, the recovery of ¹⁰⁶Ru in seawater ranged from 85.3% to 92.3%, with an average of 88.1 ± 4.2%. The method proposed in the present study can also be applied to seawater samples with various salinities and volumes. For 20 L seawater and 24 h counting time on a γ-spectrometer, the limit of detection for ¹⁰⁶Ru in seawater was 5.74 mBq/L. In contrast to the traditional CoS method, the usage of NiS does not require any heating process; thus, the pretreatment time is substantially reduced. In addition, by using our method, ¹⁰⁶Ru can be determined in the presence of other radionuclides, further enhancing processing efficiency.

Keywords: (106)Ru; Coprecipitation; NiS; Seawater; γ-spectrometry.

MeSH terms

Plutonium* / analysis
Radiation Monitoring*
Seawater
Spectrum Analysis
Water Pollutants, Radioactive* / analysis

Substances

Water Pollutants, Radioactive
Plutonium