Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Preliminary development of a radiochemical separation method to determine 135Cs and 135Cs/137Cs isotopic ratio by a non-radiometric technique

  • Published:
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

A Correction to this article was published on 07 January 2023

This article has been updated

Abstract

The completion of the radiological inventory of a nuclear facility is hindered by some radionuclides that cannot be easily detected because of hardly measurable gamma lines or low abundance. 135Cs is a long-lived hard-to-measure radionuclide that needs chemical and radiochemical treatments to be measured. A preliminary separation approach to be combined with a non-radiometric assay is being proposed to quantify 135Cs by measuring 135Cs/137Cs isotopic ratio. To exploit this powerful tool, the removal of matrix contaminants, especially 135,137Ba isobaric interferences, remains paramount and challenging. The combined effect of co-precipitation followed by chromatographic separations is being explored in this work.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Change history

References

  1. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (1998) Radiological Characterization of Shut Down Nuclear Reactors for Decommissioning Purposes. Technical Reports Series No. 389, IAEA, Vienna

  2. OECD (2013) Radiological Characterisation for Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations.Nucl Energy Agency72

  3. Hou X (2007) Radiochemical analysis of radionuclides difficult to measure for waste characterization in decommissioning of nuclear facilities. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 273:43–48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-007-0708-x

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Mommaert C, Andrieu C, Desnoyers Y et al (2017) Radiological characterisation from a Waste and materials end-state perspective: Practices and Experience. OECD NEA 7373:100

    Google Scholar 

  5. Heinitz S, Kajan I, Schumann D (2022) How accurate are half-life data of long-lived radionuclides? Radiochim Acta. https://doi.org/10.1515/ract-2021-1135

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Ling H, Chen L, Chen WM, Yun L (2019) The study of migration velocity of Cs-135 and Se-79 in intact rock. IOP Conf Ser Mater Sci Eng 592. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/592/1/012049

  7. Helmer RG, Chechev VP (2007) 137Cs. Table de Radionuclides 0015:1–8

    Google Scholar 

  8. Nagy P, Vajda N, Sziklai-László I et al (2014) Determination of 135Cs in nuclear power plant wastes by ICP-MS and k0-NAA. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 300:615–627. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-013-2875-2

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Chao JH, Tseng CL (1996) Determination of 135Cs by neutron activation analysis. Nucl Instruments Methods Phys Res sect A Accel Spectrometers. Detect Assoc Equip 372:275–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-9002(95)01296-6

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Snyder DC, Delmore JE, Tranter T et al (2012) Radioactive cesium isotope ratios as a tool for determining dispersal and re-dispersal mechanisms downwind from the Nevada Nuclear Security Site. J Environ Radioact 110:46–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2012.01.019

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Russell BC, Croudace IW, Warwick PE (2015) Determination of 135Cs and 137Cs in environmental samples: a review. Anal Chim Acta 890:7–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2015.06.037

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Taylor VF, Evans RD, Cornett RJ (2008) Preliminary evaluation of 135Cs/137Cs as a forensic tool for identifying source of radioactive contamination. J Environ Radioact 99:109–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2007.07.006

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Delmore JE, Snyder DC, Tranter T, Mann NR (2011) Cesium isotope ratios as indicators of nuclear power plant operations. J Environ Radioact 102:1008–1011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2011.06.013

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Croudace IW, Russell BC, Warwick PW (2017) Plasma source mass spectrometry for radioactive waste characterisation in support of nuclear decommissioning: a review. J Anal At Spectrom 32:494–526. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6ja00334f

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Balaram V, Rahaman W, Roy P (2022) Recent advances in MC-ICP-MS applications in Earth and environmental sciences: Challenges and solutions. Geosyst Geoenvironment 1:100019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geogeo.2021.100019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Yamasaki SI, Akira T, Nanzyo M et al (2001) Background levels of trace and ultra-trace elements in soils of Japan. Soil Sci Plant Nutr 47:755–765. https://doi.org/10.1080/00380768.2001.10408440

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Zhu L, Hou X, Qiao J (2020) Determination of Ultralow Level 135Cs and 135Cs/137Cs ratio in environmental samples by Chemical separation and Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS. Anal Chem 92:7884–7892. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.0c01153

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Eichrom T(2014) Strontium-89/90 in Water. https://www.eichrom.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/srw01-15_sr-water.pdf

  19. Eichrom Technologies (2014) Analytical Procedure EICHROM’S VACUUM BOX SYSTEM (VBS). 1–3

  20. Nagy S (2012) Chemistry and analysis of radionuclides. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 292:465–466. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-011-1433-z

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Triskem International (2015) Product Sheet SR Resin. 33:3–6

  22. Bio-Rad (2012) Cation Exchange Resins Instruction Manual. 3–18

  23. Davies CM(2012) Determination of distribution coefficients for cationic exchange resin and optimisation of ion exchange chromatography for chromium separation for geological materials. A thesis submitted to The University of Manchester for the degree of Master of Philosophy in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

  24. Harrison JJ, Zawadzki A, Chisari R, Wong HKY (2011) Separation and measurement of thorium, plutonium, americium, uranium and strontium in environmental matrices. J Environ Radioact 102:896–900. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2010.05.010

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Eichrom T(2019) Americium, neptunium, plutonium, thorium, curium, uranium, and strontium in water. https://www.eichrom.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ACW17-13_Am-Pu-U-Np-Th-Sr-Water-VBS.pdf. 12–24

  26. Zhu L, Hou X, Qiao J (2021) Determination of 135Cs concentration and 135Cs/137Cs ratio in waste samples from nuclear decommissioning by chemical separation and ICP-MS/MS. Talanta 221:121637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2020.121637

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Russell BC, Croudace IW, Warwick PE, Milton JA (2014) Determination of precise 135Cs/137Cs ratio in environmental samples using sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Anal Chem 86:8719–8726. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac501894a

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Zheng J, Cao L, Tagami K, Uchida S (2016) Triple-quadrupole inductively coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry with a high-efficiency sample introduction system for Ultratrace determination of 135Cs and 137Cs in environmental samples at Femtogram levels. Anal Chem 88:8772–8779. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.6b02150

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Bu W, Tang L, Liu X et al (2019) Ultra-trace determination of the 135Cs/137Cs isotopic ratio by thermal ionization mass spectrometry with application to Fukushima marine sediment samples. J Anal At Spectrom 34:301–309. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8ja00380g

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Zhu L, Hou X, Qiao J (2021) Determination of low-level 135Cs and 135Cs/137Cs atomic ratios in large volume of seawater by chemical separation coupled with triple-quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry measurement for its oceanographic applications. Talanta 226:122121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122121

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (2004) Predisposal Management of Organic Radioactive Waste. Technical Reports Series No. 427, IAEA, Vienna

  32. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (2002) Application of Ion Exchange Processes for the Treatment of Radioactive Waste and Management of Spent Ion Exchangers. Technical Reports Series No. 408, IAEA, Vienna

  33. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (2020) Underground Disposal Concepts for small inventories of Intermediate and High Level Radioactive Waste. TECDOC-1934. IAEA, Vienna

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership between Politecnico di Milano and European Commission’s Joint Research Centre – Ispra site.

This work was presented at the 19th Radiochemical Conference (RadChem 2022) held in Mariánské Lázně, Czech Republic, on 15–20 May 2022.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza L. da Vinci 32, 20133, Milano, Italy

    Francesco Galluccio, Eros Mossini, Elena Macerata, Gabriele Magugliani & Mario Mariani

  2. Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027, Ispra, Italy

    Francesco Galluccio, Gianmarco Bilancia & Paolo Peerani

  3. Nucleco S.p.A., Via Anguillarese 301, 00123, Roma, Italy

    Izabela Cydzik & Mauro Merlo

  4. TrisKem International, Rue des Champs Géons 3, 35170, Bruz, France

    Aude Bombard

Authors
  1. Francesco Galluccio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gianmarco Bilancia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Eros Mossini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Izabela Cydzik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mauro Merlo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Aude Bombard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Elena Macerata
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Gabriele Magugliani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Paolo Peerani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Mario Mariani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francesco Galluccio.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships with other people or organizations that could have inappropriately influenced the work presented in this paper.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Galluccio, F., Bilancia, G., Mossini, E. et al. Preliminary development of a radiochemical separation method to determine 135Cs and 135Cs/137Cs isotopic ratio by a non-radiometric technique. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 332, 1489–1498 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-022-08685-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-022-08685-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation