Abstract
Gamma and alpha spectrometry techniques were applied to determine the activity concentrations of 238U and 232Th (Bq kg–1) as well as the 234U/238U and 230Th/234U isotopic ratios for commercial grade monazite (purity ≈50%) supplied from the Egypt nuclear materials authority. A method for total dissolution of monazite followed by the sequential radiochemical separation using anion-exchange chromatography is presented. The average activity concentrations of 238U and 232Th, measured by α-ray spectrometry, are 2.49 g kg–1 (0.24 wt %) and 30.09 g kg–1 (3.1 wt %), respectively. The calculated 234U/238U and 230Th/234U isotopic ratios are close to unity, suggesting closed system equilibrium. The possibility of using leaching of monazite with water at different pH values for gaining information about the masses of uranium and thorium that pass into the solution and remain fixed in the crystal lattice was examined.
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Acknowledgments
The author acknowledges the contribution made to this study by the Helsinki University radiochemical laboratory, students, their teachers, as well as the support from Dr. Juhani Suksi and Prof. Jukka Lehto.
Funding
The study was funded by the ParOwn organization for scientific research (project no. 15326).
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Abdellah, W.M. Sequential Radiochemical Procedure for Isotopic Analysis of Uranium and Thorium in Egyptian Monazite. Radiochemistry 61, 470–477 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1066362219040118
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1066362219040118