Investigation of a new approach for 36Cl determination in solid samples using plastic scintillators

This work reports a new approach for the determination of 36Cl in radioactive waste samples from nuclear decommissioning, wherein novel plastic scintillator (PS) materials were used for the concentration of 36Cl prior to the detection with scintillation counting. Different plastic scintillator (PS) materials were tested for their selective absorption and detection of 36Cl activity in solid samples. PS microspheres (PSm), cross-linked PSm (CPSm) and PS resin have been investigated. PS resin was identified as the most suitable material for 36Cl analysis. Pyrolysis and subsequent trapping of the volatile elements in a bubbler was used. The trapping solution was finally loaded onto a cartridge of the PS resin. Scintillation counting and ion chromatography were used to determine the activity concentration and the chemical recovery, respectively.

Automated summary

This work presents a new method for determining 36Cl in radioactive waste samples, using novel plastic scintillator (PS) materials for concentration and scintillation counting detection. Different types of PS materials were compared, with PS resin showing the best performance for 36Cl analysis. Pyrolysis and bubbling trapping were used to concentrate the volatile elements, followed by loading onto a PS resin cartridge. Scintillation counting and ion chromatography were used for activity concentration and chemical recovery determination, respectively.