1. Correlation between radon release, radioactivity and mineralogy: a case study of Estonian black sands.
- Author
-
Tkaczyk, Alan H., Koch, Rein, Ipbüker, Cagatay, Järvelill, Johanna-Iisebel, Serv, Anne, and Sas, Zoltán
- Subjects
RADON ,MINERALOGY ,HEAVY minerals ,CONSTRUCTION materials ,SAND ,RADIOACTIVITY - Abstract
The growing attention to naturally occurring radionuclides in building materials has a significant societal impact. This impact is apparent in recent research studies and the latest European Council directives, where reference levels for indoor radon concentrations and gamma radiation levels are reported. This paper studies black sand samples from the Estonian coast, mainly from Kihnu island. The results are discussed from various aspects to determine if utilization of these sands as a building material component is viable. For this reason, this paper focuses on the mineralogical and radiological characterization of these samples with special attention to radon emanation and exhalation. Furthermore, a detailed correlation study of mineralogical components against emanation and exhalation factors and the levels of
226 Ra,232 Th and40 K was performed. It is found that the sand samples are composed of very high heavy mineral content as compared to the rest of Estonia; the black sands studied here include a heavy fraction dominated by garnets and a light fraction characterized by quartz and feldspars. The analysis also indicates that the higher232 Th and226 Ra content in the samples is correlated with an increase in zircon, ore minerals and garnets; on the other hand, the40 K content is connected to amphiboles. A strong correlation was also found between the226 Ra activity concentration and the measured massic exhalation rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF