Separation of radioactive strontium from natural samples by means of mixed-solvent anion exchange

A new procedure for isolation and determination of⁹⁰Sr in real natural samples is presented. It consists of bringing natural samples in a soluble form suitable for separation on an ion-exchange column, separation of calcium from strontium by means of the anion exchanger Amberlite CG-400 and 0.25M HNO₃ in methanol as eluent for calcium, and the determination of⁹⁰Sr using a low level -counter after elution with H₂O, scavenging steps and SrCO₃ precipitation. The method was tested with IAEA standards of natural samples with known contents of⁹⁰Sr, and water samples, where the concentration of⁹⁰Sr was previously determined by the standard IAEA procedure. The results obtained show that it is possible to isolate and determine low levels of⁹⁰Sr in natural samples. The procedure is favorable because of the simple separation of radioaactive strontium without using fuming nitric acid.     

89Sr/90Sr-Determination in soils and sediments using crown ethers for Ca/Sr-separation

A radiochemical procedure is described for the sensitive determination of⁸⁹Sr and⁹⁰Sr activity concentrations in soil and sediment samples. After leaching the sample with hydrochloric acid, Sr is separated from most of the soluble matrix constituents and Ca by solvent extraction using dicylclohexano-18-crown-6 in trichloromethane. After backextraction with a EDTA-solution (ethylene diamine tetra acetate), Sr is purified by several precipitation steps from traces of matrix constituents and radionuclides which might interfere the beta measurements of⁸⁹Sr,⁹⁰Sr and⁹⁰Y. The detection limits are about 0.2 Bq/kg and 0.4 Bq/kg for⁹⁰Sr and⁸⁹Sr respectively. The procedure can be applied to all kind of environmental samples with small modifications of the sample preparation steps prior to analysis.     

Strontium isolation from natural samples with Sr resin and subsequent determination of 90Sr</p> </p>

The reliability of an ⁹⁰Sr determination method was tested using an Sr extraction chromatographic resin for strontium isolation. The ⁹⁰Sr-content in samples of vegetables, soil and water (obtained from Environmental Measurement Laboratory, USA) were determined and the results were controlled by classical methods and by using an anion-exchanger and an alcohol solution of nitric acid for the strontium isolation. These methods were previously tested by determining ⁹⁰Sr in IAEA 326 and 327 samples of soil. It is shown that the isolation process with Sr resin is simpler and faster than the classical and mixed solvent anion-exchange methods. The efficiency of isolation on a Sr column depends on the resin quantity and separation conditions; and is the highest with a Sr column, compared to the classical and anion-exchange methods. Experimental data and theoretical models were used to calculate the parameters that enable the estimation of optimum dimensions of the column for isolation. A simple relation is proposed for the calculation of breakthrough volume, which defines the sample and eluent volumes for an optimal strontium isolation.</p> </p>     

Measurement of 90Sr in Marine Biological Samples

Strontium-90 (⁹⁰Sr) is one of the most hazardous radionuclides, and it contributes to radiation exposure by ingestion. The routine determination of ⁹⁰Sr in marine biological samples is highly desirable given the development of the nuclear power industry. A fast, simple, and low-detection-limit method was developed for the measurement of ⁹⁰Sr in marine biological samples based on determining ⁹⁰Y by means of coprecipitation and solvent extraction with bis-2-ethylhexyl-phosphoric acid (HDEHP) in n-heptane. The interfering ²¹⁰Bi is removed using Bi₂S₃ precipitation. The separation and purification of eight samples per day can be accomplished through this method. The detection limit of ⁹⁰Sr for this method is 0.10 Bq/kg (ash weight). The radiochemical procedure was validated by fitting the decay curve of the sample source and by the determination of ⁹⁰Sr standards.     

Bestimmung des Gehaltes an90Sr und89Sr in Proben tierischer und pflanzlicher Herkunft

A method is described for the determination of⁸⁹Sr and⁹⁰Sr in samples of plant and animal origin. The Rehak-Feddersen method was modified to measure⁹⁰Sr. Modification was made in the sample preparation and in the toluene-HDEHP [di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid] extraction. After the extraction of yttrium, strontium is separated with nitric acid and—calculating with a correction factor—⁸⁹Sr can directly be determined. Namely,⁸⁹Sr can be measured in an aqueous solution by a liquid scintillation technique with an efficiency of 30% while⁹⁰Sr with 1.4% only. Quenching of the solution—depending on the composition—which may influence the measurement of⁹⁰Y and⁸⁹Sr was also examined. Detection limits and reproducibilities are given. Finally, evaluation of the experimental data is reported.      

Determination of 90Sr and 210Pb in deer bone samples by liquid scintillation counting after ion-exchange procedures

This work describes a procedure for the isolation of ⁹⁰Sr and ²¹⁰Pb from deer bones by anion exchange methods and their sequential measurement by LSC. To prevent collection of Pb on the Sr·Spec^® resin we first separated Pb on a Dowex anion exchange column. Sr, which is not held back on the Dowex column, was then purified using Sr·Spec^® resin: first Ca and the Ra isotopes were eluted with 3 M HNO₃ and then Sr was eluted with distilled water. With this 2-steps procedure pure ²¹⁰Pb and ⁹⁰Sr spectra can be achieved. The chemical yield of both steps was determined by ICP-MS. Our ⁹⁰Sr results show satisfying agreement with data obtained by a shorter Sr·Spec^® method and also by the “classical” ⁹⁰Sr determination using fuming nitric acid. Also ²¹⁰Pb results were checked by re-measuring bone samples with already known ²¹⁰Pb activities. Further our method was verified on the reference sample IAEA-A-12.     

Rapid determination of 90Sr/90Y in water samples by liquid scintillation and Cherenkov counting

Strontium-90 (⁹⁰Sr) is a ubiquitous contaminant at nuclear facilities, found at high concentrations in spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. Due to its long half-life and ability to be transported in groundwater, an accurate method for measuring ⁹⁰Sr in water samples is critical to the monitoring program of any nuclear facility. To address this need, a rapid procedure for sequential separation of Sr/Y was developed and tested in groundwater samples collected from an area of riverbed affected by a ⁹⁰Sr groundwater plume. Sixteen samples, plus spike and water blanks, were analyzed. Five different measurements were performed to determine the ⁹⁰Sr and yttrium-90 (⁹⁰Y) activities in the samples: direct triple-to-double-coincidence ratio (TDCR) Cherenkov counting of ⁹⁰Y, liquid scintillation (LS) counting for ⁹⁰Sr following radiochemical separation, LS counting for ⁹⁰Y following radiochemical separation, Cherenkov counting for ⁹⁰Y following radiochemical separation and LS counting of the Sr samples for ⁹⁰Y in-growth. The counting was done using a low-level Hidex 300SL TDCR counter. Each measurement method was compared for accuracy, sensitivity and efficiency. The results following Cherenkov counting and radiochemical separation were in very good agreement with one another.     

The determination and application of 87Sr/86Sr ratio in verifying geographical origin of wheat

As ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio plays a significant role in authenticating the geographical origin of foodstuff, it is important to identify where the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr signature in food comes from, and the methods of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio analysis in food and environmental samples. Wheat with three genotypes, soil and groundwater samples were collected from three regions of China during harvest time of 2014. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in the samples were determined by thermal ionization mass spectrometer in order to investigate the possible source of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in wheat, and the concentrations of Rb and Sr in wheat and soils were also detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and combined with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio in order to trace the geographical origin of wheat. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio, the contents Rb and Sr, and Rb/Sr ratio of wheat and soil samples showed significant differences among three regions. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios and the concentrations of Rb and Sr in soils were higher than those in corresponding wheat. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio in wheat was identical to that corresponding soil NH₄NO₃ extracts (labile fraction of soil) and groundwater. Wheat uptake more Rb than Sr. 3D distribution of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, Rb and Sr could identify wheat samples from different regions clearly. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of wheat reflects the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of the associated environment including soil and groundwater. It is expected that the use the parameters of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio, the contents of Rb and Sr will allow to trace geographical origin of wheat. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Feasibility study of an analytical method for detecting <Superscript>90</Superscript>Sr in soil using DGA resin and Sr resin

This study investigated an analytical method for detecting ⁹⁰Sr in soil samples for the routine monitoring of environmental radioactivity. Mineral acid leaching and fusion methods were first used to digest the soil sample, and the analytical results were compared. DGA resin was employed to separate ⁹⁰Y, being a daughter of ⁹⁰Sr. Then, ⁹⁰Y was analyzed by liquid scintillation counter (LSC). These analytical results were compared with those obtained using Sr resin, which is a well-known, simple and reliable separation method. With the DGA resin approach a minimum detectable activity of ~0.28 Bq kg^?1 was detected in a 50 g sample, with 180 min of counting time, 70% recovery and ~97% counting efficiency using a LSC.     

Separation of Ba and Pb from aqueous solutions of Sr with commercially available “precipitated active manganese dioxide”

Ba and Pb radionuclides can be removed from Sr in aqueous solution in both sodium acetate and acetic acid, containing 20 mg Sr carrier, by stirring with small (0.1–0.5 g) amounts of solid manganese dioxide. In tracer experiments⁸⁵Sr was separated with only small losses from¹³³Ba and²¹⁰Pb by separation factors of 87 and 135, respectively. The separation factor is defined here as the % of the initial⁸⁵Sr activity/ % of the initial¹³³Ba or²¹⁰Pb activity remaining in the aqueous phase after MnO₂ contact. The applicability of this technique for removing Ba and Pb radionuclides in the analysis of⁹⁰Sr in environmental samples (especially milk) is discussed.     

ESI-QIMS Investigation of Sr,Rb, and Crown Ether Mixture Solutions

The isotope distribution of Sr, alternatively ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio frequently reported in geologic investigations, is obtained by direct electrospray ionization of aqueous samples containing Sr(II), Rb(I) with added 18-crown-6 (18c6) [1,4,7,10,13,16-Hexaoxacyclooctadecane C₁₂H₂₄O₆ m/z 264.3]. At relatively high concentrations of Sr and Rb, we observed favorable formation of Sr²⁺(18c6)₂ and Rb⁺(18c6) rather than Sr²⁺(18c6) complexes. Significant Sr²⁺(18c6)₂ suppression observed in post column addition of samples into water solvent disappeared when formic acid was present in the carrier solvent. Electrospray ionization-quadrupole-ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-QITMS) successfully obtained the expected isotope distribution of Sr showing no interference from Rb without chromatographic separation of ⁸⁷Sr and ⁸⁷Rb necessary in ICP-MS studies.     

Improved method for the separation of radioactive strontium from various samples by mixed solvent anion exchange

Procedures for the separation and determination of⁹⁰Sr in liquid samples, with cation and anion exchangers have been described. Strontium, yttrium and other cations bind to the cation exchanger and are eluted from the column by means of nitric acid. Separation of yttrium and strontium from other cations is carried out on columns filled with strong base anion exchangers in nitrate form with alcoholic solutions of nitric acid. This separation method enables the determination of⁹⁰Sr through yttrium on a low-level gas flow α, β-counter, as well as through strontium on a lowlevel liquid scintillation counter by means of Cherenkov counting. Such procedures have been tested by the determination of⁹⁰Sr in water, wine, medium radioactive liquid waste samples, milk and clover samples. For comparison, the determination has also been carried out by the standard method. It has been showed that the developed procedures might produce a high efficiency in strontium separation and a satisfactory accuracy of determination.     

Co-precipitation of plutonium(IV) and americium(III) from nitric acid–oxalic acid solutions with bismuth oxalate

This study presents analytical methods for the determination of gross beta, ⁹⁰Sr, ²²⁶Ra and Pu isotopes using samples in the IAEA-TEL-2015-04 ALMERA Proficiency Test exercise. Samples for gross beta were prepared by evaporation and then analyzed using a gas proportional counter. ⁹⁰Sr in the liquid sample was concentrated as SrCO₃ precipitates and purified by Sr resin. Pu isotopes and ⁹⁰Sr in the soil sample were extracted from the sample by mineral acid leaching and separated using TEVA and Sr resin, respectively. Pu isotopes were determined by alpha spectrometry and ⁹⁰Sr were determined with a liquid scintillation counter. Radium in the soil sample was extracted by LiBO₂ fusion, and the radon-emanation method using LSC was applied for the determination of ²²⁶Ra.     

Determination of137Cs and90Sr in milk by the static method with an ion exchanger

This paper presents the method of⁹⁰Sr and¹³⁷Cs determination from 10 litres of milk. The preconcentration is made by the static method with a strong acid cation exchanger (OSTION KS).¹³⁷Cs from the eluent (8M HCl) is selectively eliminated with ammonium molybdophosphate and then the^137mBa gamma activity measured, using NaI(T1) detector.⁹⁰Sr as⁹⁰Y is determined after achievement of the radioactive equilibrium and measured by flow proportional counter. The method appears to be accurate, reproducible and permits to determine³² mBq¹³⁷Cs and 13 mBq⁹⁰Sr in the samples.     

Estimation of 90Sr in reprocessed uranium oxide samples

Summary A method has been developed for the estimation of ⁹⁰Sr in reprocessed uranium oxide samples obtained from the Purex processing of natural uranium spent fuel discharged from the research reactor. The method employs a combination of precipitation and solvent extraction procedure to eliminate other beta-impurities prior to resorting to the estimation of ⁹⁰Sr by beta-counting. ¹⁰⁶Ru was eliminated by volatalizing with perchloric acid, uranium was removed by carrier precipitation with strontium as sulphate. The sulphate precipitate was converted to carbonate and dissolved in nitric acid. ²³⁴Th and ²³⁴Pa were eliminated by synergistic solvent extraction using tri-n-butyl phosphate and thenoyl trifluoroacetone extractant mixture in xylene. An iron scavenging step was included to remove any residual impurities. Finally, strontium is precipitated as SrC₂O₄^. H₂O. The separated ⁹⁰Sr activity was followed to check the equilibrium growth of ⁹⁰Y.     

Rapid determination of 89Sr and 90Sr in radioactive waste using Sr extraction disk and beta-ray spectrometer

A rapid determination method in which beta-ray spectrometry was combined with solid phase extraction using Sr Rad Disk was developed for the determination of ⁸⁹Sr and ⁹⁰Sr in low-level radioactive waste. Various amounts of ⁸⁹Sr, ⁹⁰Sr, and ⁹⁰Y retained by the Sr Rad Disk was measured by a beta-ray spectrometer, and it was found that both ⁸⁹Sr and ⁹⁰Sr were simultaneously determined with <30% error (2σ) at ⁸⁹Sr/⁹⁰Sr radioactivity ratio of 0.3 to 45. The present method was successfully applied to actual radioactive liquid waste samples arising from nuclear facilities in Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Strontium was simply separated from interfering nuclides such as ¹³⁷Cs and ¹⁵⁴Eu, and matrix components by the Sr Rad Disk, and the results obtained by beta-ray spectrometry was in good agreement with that of the conventional analysis.     

Rapid determination of 89,90Sr in wide range of activity concentration by combination of yttrium, strontium separation and Cherenkov counting

The methodology for the rapid determination of ^89,90Sr in wide range of activity concentration is given. Methodology is based on simultaneous separation of strontium and yttrium from samples by mixed solvent anion exchange chromatography, mutual separation of ^89,90Sr from ⁹⁰Y by hydroxide precipitation and quantitative ^89,90Sr determination by Cherenkov counting within 3 days. It is shown that Y and Sr can be efficiently separated from alkaline, alkaline earth and transition elements as well as from lanthanides and actinides on the column filed by strong base anion exchanger in nitrate form and 0.25 M HNO₃ in mixture of ethanol and methanol as eluent. Decontamination factor for Ba, La and other examined elements except calcium is low and can not affect quantitative determination in predictable circumstances. Methodology for quantitative determination by Cherenkov counting based on following the changes of sample activity over time is described and discussed. It has been shown that ^89,90Sr can be determined with acceptable accuracy when ⁸⁹Sr/⁹⁰Sr ratio is over 10:1 and that separation of Y enables reliable determination of ⁸⁹Sr and ⁹⁰Sr in wide range of ⁸⁹Sr/⁹⁰Sr ratios (60:1) and in some cases in presence of other yttrium and strontium isotopes. The methodology was tested by determination of ^89,90Sr in Analytics crosscheck samples (nuclear waste sample) and ERA proficiency testing samples (low level activity samples). Obtained results shows that by using of low level liquid scintillation counter it can be possible to determine ⁸⁹Sr and ⁹⁰Sr in wide range of concentration activity (1–1,000 Bq/L/kg) with uncertainty below 10% within 2–3 days. Results also show that accuracy of determination of ⁸⁹Sr (and ⁹⁰Sr) strongly depends on the determination of difference between separation and counting time when activity ratio of ⁸⁹Sr/⁹⁰Sr is high. Examination the influence of media and vial type on background radiation and counting efficiency has shown that lowest limit of determination can be obtained by using of HNO₃ in plastic vials as counting media, because in this combination figure of merit is maximized. For the recovery of 50% and 100 min of counting time estimated MDA is 55 Bq and 90 Bq for ⁹⁰Sr and ⁸⁹Sr, respectively. Analysis of combined uncertainty shows that it mainly depends on uncertainty of efficiency and recovery determination, uncertainty of activities determination for both isotopes and level of background radiation.     

Synthesis and characterization of Nb–Ge doped titanosilicate nanoparticles and study of their selectivity for absorption of 137Cs and 90Sr

In this research, for the first time Nb and Ge were doped into titanosilicate nanoparticles up to 25% simultaneously. Crystalline phases and morphology of the synthesized samples were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) method and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. Elemental analysis of the samples was performed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques. Surface area of the samples was measured by BET method. Ion exchange potential of the synthesized samples for Sr²⁺ and Cs⁺ and effective parameters such as concentration, temperature, time, and pH were investigated. In addition,¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr radio nuclides absorption in the best appropriate sample was examined. The selectivity of the samples for absorption of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr was studied by gamma spectroscopy, liquid scintillation spectrometry, and atomic absorption spectroscopy methods. The obtained results showed that the prepared samples had good potential for absorption of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr from the model solution. The sample containing equal amount of niobium and germanium, removed completely the ¹³⁷Cs within the waste water of Tehran nuclear reactor and ⁹⁰Sr in the desired solution.     

Simultaneous determination of Cs and Sr in the high level waste by ion-chromatography

A method based on ion-chromatography has been developed for determination of Cs and Sr in high level waste (HLW) without matrix separation. The acidity of HLW (3 M HNO₃) was decreased to 0.01 M by addition of NaOH. Chromatographic separation of Cs⁺ and Sr⁺⁺ in presence of bulk Na⁺ has achieved using methane sulphonic acid as mobile phase in isocratic and gradient mode. The calibration plot was linear for the concentration range of 0.5–12 mg/L for Cs and 0.025–6 mg/L for Sr with regression coefficients close to 1. RSD obtained for Cs and Sr was 1 and 5 % respectively. Detection limit calculated as 3(S/N) was found to be 20 μg/L for Cs and 30 μg/L for Sr. The standard addition procedure was used to validate the developed method. The samples received from PREFRE, Tarapur and WIP, BARC were analyzed by the new method and the results are presented.     

Polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles for rapid bioassay of <Superscript>90</Superscript>Sr in human urine samples

A rapid bioassay for ⁹⁰Sr was developed involving preconcentration of ⁹⁰Sr/⁹⁰Y from human urine samples with a cation exchange polymer (poly–acrylamido–methyl–propanesulfonic acid) coated onto magnetic nanoparticles, followed by selective elution of ⁹⁰Sr (over ⁹⁰Y) with phosphate for determination by liquid scintillation analysis. The minimum detectable activity for this method (4.9 ± 0.5 Bq/L) is lower than the required sensitivity of 19 Bq/L for ⁹⁰Sr in human urine samples, as defined in the requirements for radiation emergency bioassay techniques for the public and first responders based on the dose threshold for possible medical attention recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The relative bias was 9.2%, the relative precision was 3.2%, and the linear dynamic range covered 12–600 Bq/L. This simple and rapid bioassay method is found to be in compliance with the HPS ANSI N13.30 performance criteria for radiobioassay.