Assessment of Natural Radioactivity, Heavy Metals and Particulate Matter in Air and Soil around a Coal-Fired Power Plant—An Integrated Approach
| Autor: | José Soeiro de Carvalho, Maria de Lurdes Dinis, Joaquim Góis, Ana C. Meira Castro, António Fiúza |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
coal-fired power plant emissions
particulate matter Atmospheric Science Radionuclide Topsoil gamma dose rates trace metals Flux Environmental Science (miscellaneous) Particulates Soil type naturally occurring radioactive material soil fly ash Deposition (aerosol physics) Environmental chemistry Meteorology. Climatology Environmental science Soil horizon Environmental radioactivity spatial variability QC851-999 |
| Zdroj: | Atmosphere, Vol 12, Iss 1433, p 1433 (2021) Atmosphere Volume 12 Issue 11 |
| ISSN: | 2073-4433 |
| Popis: | A comprehensive study of the environmental radioactivity covered in a distance up to 20 km from a point source—two stacks of a coal-fired power plant. Airborne particulate matter was collected, and the element composition on the 30 cm soil profile was determined. The range of activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K from the studied areas varies from 8 Bq/kg to 41 Bq/kg, 5 to 72 Bq/kg and 62 to 795 Bq/kg, respectively. The activities values are increased by 44% for 226Ra, 37% for 40K, and 75% for 232Th in the prevailing wind direction. For some elements, the respective concentration in the soil is above the maximum permissible level for all types of soil use, particularly for the arsenic concentration. The deposition flux ranged from 0.36 to 5.70 (g m−2 per month) in the first sampling campaign and from 0.02 to 3.10 (g m−2 per month) for the second sampling campaign. Maps on the spatial distribution of gamma dose rates, radionuclides activity concentrations, deposition flux and trace metals in topsoil were developed for the study region. These maps are in accordance with higher values in specific locations in the vicinity of the coal-fired power plant, showing the influence of point sources, and for locations within 6 and 20 km from the stacks, particularly in the prevailing wind direction. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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