Authors:
L. Joshi Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Division of Radiological Protection Trombay 400085 Bombay (India)

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A. Ganguly Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Division of Radiological Protection Trombay 400085 Bombay (India)

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Abstract  

Coastal sediment samples are collected from the top surface layers of the sediments from Bombay to Kottilppad along the West coast of India in order to understand the geochemical behaviour of231Pa and the activity ratios of231Pa/235U in this region of the Indian sub-continent. These coastal regions offer a unique advantage for studying the geochemistry and transport of natural radioactivity due to the placer deposits of monazite in the southern part of India. The top layers of the surface sediments are leached with 1.0M oxalic acid for the extraction of protactinium activities without attacking the mineral core of the particles.233Pa tracer is added to the samples. The chemical recovery obtained by counting233Pa is found to vary from 40 to 90%. Total uranium leached from the sediment surface is determined by fluorimetric method and the concentrations of235U in the leachates are calculated. Using these data, the activity ratios of231Pa/235U have been calculated. These ratios lie in the range of 11.0 to 21.0 for sediments from Bombay to Kottilppad. The data of231Pa activity indicates that there is a deficiency of231Pa in coastal waters of the ocean and that231Pa is removed by precipitation as soon as it is formed by radioactive decay of235U.231Pa is observed to be bound mostly to organic humous material on the surface of the sediment.

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Journal of Radionalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
Language English
Size A4
Year of
Foundation
1968
Volumes
per Year
1
Issues
per Year
12
Founder Akadémiai Kiadó
Founder's
Address
H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Publisher's
Address
H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
CH-6330 Cham, Switzerland Gewerbestrasse 11.
Responsible
Publisher
Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN 0236-5731 (Print)
ISSN 1588-2780 (Online)