Analyses of slag and ash samples performed between 2019 and 2023, with a focus on radioactive equilibrium in natural decay series

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F86652052%3A_____%2F25%3AN0000004" target="_blank" >RIV/86652052:_____/25:N0000004 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06526-3" target="_blank" >https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06526-3</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06526-3" target="_blank" >10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06526-3</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Analyses of slag and ash samples performed between 2019 and 2023, with a focus on radioactive equilibrium in natural decay series

Original language description

Products of coal combustion (especially ash and slag) are commonly used as raw materials in the production of building materials. Such building materials need to meet the legislative criteria based on the determination of 40K, 226Ra and 232Th activities, which are used for the Activity Concentration Index calculation. The Czech national authority issued a Recommendation concerning gamma spectrometric activity assessment in building materials. This document assumes an intact radioactive equilibrium in the decay series, therefore 226Ra does not have to be determined from the activities of radon daughters. Instead, it can be determined directly from the 186 keV peak, with 226Ra making up 57.5 % of the total peak area. This approach significantly simplifies and shortens the determination of 226Ra, since the sample containers do not have to be hermetically sealed and there is no need to wait for the equilibrium. From 2019 to 2023, the National Radiation Protection Institute analysed over 139 slag and ash samples produced in the Czech Republic. The 226Ra activity concentration was determined from the daughter products of radon decay (214Bi and 214Pb), and directly from the 186 keV peak. The 238U activity concentration was determined from decay products (234mPa or 234Th) and by calculation from 235U. Based on the statistical comparison of the activities obtained using different approaches, the assumption of the equilibrium in the decay series can be verified.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10511 - Environmental sciences (social aspects to be 5.7)

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

The European Physical Journal Plus

ISSN

2190-5444

e-ISSN

2190-5444

Volume of the periodical

140

Issue of the periodical within the volume

6

Country of publishing house

DE - GERMANY

Number of pages

7

Pages from-to

581

UT code for WoS article

001514435400001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105008825325