Transfer factors for natural radioactivity into olive mill pomace

Abstract

The transfer factor (TF) of naturally occurring radioactivity between soil and olive mill pomace (OMP) was calculated in this study. Nine samples were collected from three locations in north Jordan. The study focused on calculating the ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K, and ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations in both soil and OMP samples using high-purity germanium (HPGe) gamma-ray spectrometry. The average activity levels in the soil samples were determined to be 24.0±10.1, 31.3±9.1, 323.7±68.4, and 1.0±0.4 (Bqkg^-1), respectively. In the OMP samples, the average activity levels of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K were 6.7±1.8, 3.2±1.2, and 185.5±56.6 (Bqkg^-1), respectively, while no trace of ¹³⁷Cs was detected. The activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K in the soils and OMP samples are within the average worldwide ranges. The calculated values of the TF geometric mean (geometric standard deviation) for ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K were determined to be 0.35 (0.2), 0.11 (0.05), and 0.59 (0.19), respectively. This research offers valuable information about the behavior and movement of radionuclides in the environment.

Keywords: High-purity germanium gamma-ray spectrometer; Natural radioactivity; North Jordan; Olive mill pomace; Transfer factor.