Journal
JOURNAL OF GEOCHEMICAL EXPLORATION
Volume 109, Issue 1-3, Pages 134-138Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.gexplo.2010.09.004
Keywords
Uranium; Easy-and-quick test; X-ray fluorescence spectrometry; Topsoils; Nisa deposit; Portugal
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An environmental concern for uranium-producing countries is the possible dissemination of this radionuclide in soils nearby mineral deposits, even non-exploited ones. This is the case of the Nisa uranium deposit in Alto-Alentejo, East-central Portugal, considered economically impracticable after prospecting efforts that left behind masses of accumulated debris. A first step towards the assessment of uranium retention through adsorption by soil clay minerals was a test study of a topsoils profile close to the Nisa deposit. With the aim of quickly appraising the presence of this element in a large set of as-collected soil samples, a combination of laboratory X-ray techniques was applied: X-ray diffraction to identify the main mineral phases and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry in wavelength dispersive mode to certify the presence of uranium and roughly estimate its comparative content. A description of the so-implemented easy-and-quick uranium assay is presented and critically evaluated. Obtained results compare well to the chemical data from certified analytical tests of uranium performed over a set of eleven test soil samples. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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