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Title: Radiological investigation of lignite ash. The case of the West Macedonia Lignite Center (Greece)

Journal Article · · Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects
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  1. Technological Educational Institute of West Macedonia, Kozani (Greece)

This article investigates the natural radioactivity of 26 ash samples, laboratory produced from lignite samples collected in the West Macedonia Lignite Center in Northern Greece. The activity concentrations of {sup 40}K, {sup 235}U, {sup 238}U, {sup 226}Ra, {sup 228}Ra, and 232Th were measured by spectroscopy and found four to five times higher than those in the original lignite samples. The radionuclides transfer factors depend on the characteristics of the combustion process and were found higher for {sup 232}Th, {sup 228}Ra, and 40K, because of their closer affinity with the inorganic fraction of the lignite. Compared with other results found in the published literature, the studied ash has relatively high content in radioactivity, but the resulting radiation dose from the radionuclide emissions in the West Macedonia Lignite Center do not contribute significantly to the total effective dose.

OSTI ID:
21197782
Journal Information:
Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, Vol. 31, Issue 14; ISSN 1556-7036
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English