Instrumental neutron activation analysis for the elemental analysis of cement

Cement is widely used as a construction material in Libya. Production plants introduce certain contaminants to the environment. The dust from such plants is carried away to neighbouring areas. This dust contains a substantial amount of contaminants depending on the origin of clays used in the production. In this study, a survey of elemental concentration of clay and cement was carried out to assess the environmental impact of such plants, especially those that are situated near residential and agricultural areas. Cement and clay samples, imported and locally produced, were analyzed. Instrumental neutron activation analysis was utilized to determine the elemental concentration of As, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Eu, Fe, Hf, La, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sm, Ta, Th, U, Yb and Zn. Elevated concentrations of U and Th were found in a number of cement samples. The two nuclides are part of an elaborate decay scheme producing a range of radioactive elements, which emit alpha-, beta- and gamma-radiation. With ⁴⁰K, they could give elevated levels of background radiation in buildings resulting in higher exposure doses. This could pose a health hazard and a detrimental effect on the well being of residents, especially in poor ventillated buildings. Also, cement is the main component for constructing underground reservoirs for collecting rainwater for drinking in private residences, so some harmful elements could leach into water. This is the first comprehensive survey of commercial cement brands and clays used in Libya. These results are intended to build a database for trace element concentrations using INAA.     

Mixed insoluble acidic salts of tetravalent metals V. Effect of gamma radiation and drying temperature on granular mixed zirconium-titanium phosphates

Solid ZrOCl₂·8H₂O was added in a slow stream to a solution of phosphoric acid or to a solution of TiCl₄ in phosphoric acid to obtain granules of amorphous Zr(HPO₄)₂·nH₂O or Zr_xTi(_1–x) (HPO₄)₂·nH₂O(where x=0.95–0.80). Half of each product had been soaked in ethanol to produce alcohol solvated materials. It was found that the particle size of the resulting materials is very similar to that of ZrOCl₂·8H₂O, in such a way that it may be controlled indirectly. These materials are suitable for ion-exchange column operations. The relatively high gamma radiation doses of⁶⁰Co source did not alter its exchange properties. pH-titrations were performed by an automatic titrimeter and the exchange capacities of alkali metal ions were determined by isotopic tracer technique. Effect of drying temperature on the ion exchange properties of Na⁺, K⁺ and Cs⁺ on the granular materials have been studied. Other characterizations were made by usual chemical analysis and thermography.     

Thermal behaviour of acidic salts of mixed tetravalent metals

The results of investigations on intercalated crystalline zirconium phosphate are described in the literature. The behaviour of crystalline phosphates containing both zirconium and titanium metal ions has not been investigated previously. Within these investigations, the thermal behaviour of such materials has been studied in the temperature interval 25–1000 °C by simultaneous recording of TG, DTG and DTA curves. The results are presented in this paper.

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Zusammenfassung Ergebnisse über Untersuchungen an in Schichten eingelagerten kristallinen Zirkoniumphosphat sind in der Literatur beschrieben. Das Verhalten kristalliner Phosphate, die sowohl Zirkoniumals auch Titanmetallionen enthalten, wurde bis jetzt nicht untersucht. Als Teil dieser Untersuchungen wurde das thermische Verhalten solcher Materialien im Temperaturbereich 25–1000 °C durch simultanes Registrieren der TG-, DTG- und DTA-Kurven näher bestimmt, dessen Ergebnisse hier dargelegt werden.

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. , . , , 25–1000°. .

     

Thermal behaviour of acidic salts of mixed tetravalent metals

Mixed zirconium-titanium phosphate samples were irradiated in a gamma-radiation facility with a Co-60 source. The adsorbed dose was 10⁶ Gy. At this dose, a change in thermal bahaviour was found only for the samples intercalated withn-butylamine orn-propylamine. Further, it was found that the titanium catalysed the decomposition and the loss of organic molecules.

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Zusammenfassung Gemischte Zirkonium-Titanphosphatproben wurden in einer Gammabestrahlungskammer mit einer Co-60-Quelle bestrahlt. Die adsorbierte Dosis betrug 10⁶ Gy. Bei dieser Dosis konnte eine Veränderung im thermischen Verhalten nur für Proben mit eingelagertemn-Butylamin odern-Propylamin festgestellt werden. Weiterhin wurde gefunden, daß Titan die Zersetzung und die Abgabe der organischen Moleküle katalysiert.