Radioactive contamination of wood and its products

Hus, Mihovil; Košutić, Katarina; Lulić, Stipe

doi:10.1016/s0265-931x(00)00191-0

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Both acorns and beechnuts are notorious for low radiocesium levels. For example, a 2001 study showed contamination levels as low as 6.5±0.1 Bq 137 Cs per kg for acorns from Croatia [48]. For beechnuts, no literature data are available, but since beech wood exhibits similar contamination levels like oak wood, beechnuts are unlikely at any higher levels than acorns [48].…”

Section: Seasonal Variationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, a 2001 study showed contamination levels as low as 6.5±0.1 Bq 137 Cs per kg for acorns from Croatia [48]. For beechnuts, no literature data are available, but since beech wood exhibits similar contamination levels like oak wood, beechnuts are unlikely at any higher levels than acorns [48]. In contrast, the radiocesium levels in deer truffels are significantly higher, reaching 5,000 Bq•kg − 1 [49]or even 25,000 Bq•kg − 1 [50].…”

Section: Seasonal Variationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exemplifying the “wild boar paradox”: dynamics of cesium-137 contaminations in wild boars in Germany and Japan

Berendes

Steinhäuser

2022

J Radioanal Nucl Chem

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Wild boars (Sus scrofa) are notorious for accumulating high contamination levels of 137Cs in their meat. Publicly available data of 137Cs contamination levels in wild boars from 2011 to 2019 were used to determine some radioecological characteristics in Germany (affected by Chernobyl-fallout, 1986) and Japan (affected Fukushima, 2011). The effective half-life of 137Cs in wild boar meat was much longer in Germany (7.3 y) than in Japan (2.6 y), respectively. Wild boars in Germany thus show much more persistent contamination levels than other game or forest animals. This unusual behavior has been termed “wild boar paradox.” In German wild boars, the data sets reveal a distinct geographical and seasonal dependence with higher activity concentrations in winter than in summer. In Japan, contamination levels only exhibit a distinct decline behavior.

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Section: Seasonal Variationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Seasonal Variationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exemplifying the “wild boar paradox”: dynamics of cesium-137 contaminations in wild boars in Germany and Japan

Berendes

Steinhäuser

2022

J Radioanal Nucl Chem

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“…According to the investigation of Ladygien ė et al [38] of different wood samples, such as chips, briquettes, and pellets from different countries (Poland, Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus), the activity concentration of 137 Cs had a value from 21 ± 4 Bq/kg to 9800 ± 700 Bq/kg. In addition, research of Hus et al showed that wood ash (ash from beech wood from Croatia) contained 194.6 Bq/kg 137 Cs, and it was within acceptable limits from the point of view of radiocontamination of the environment using wood as fuel [39]. The amount of radionuclides accumulated in plants can be one hundred times higher compared with radionuclide content in their habitat medium [40].…”

Section: Radiological Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiological and Structural Characterization of Raw and Alkali-Activated Wood Ash and Metakaolin Blends

et al. 2022

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The aim of the presented research was to investigate the application possibility of wood ash and metakaolin to obtain alkali-activated materials as relatively new materials in the building industry. Thus, in order to assess the adequate use of these waste materials, structural and radiological characteristics should be considered. Until now, the focus has been on ash from thermal power plants produced by burning coal, but a large part of households in our country have individual fireplaces in which wood is used as the basic raw material; thus, it is very interesting to measure the activity concentration of radionuclide in wood ash as well as the possibility of reusing that ash for other purposes. All materials were studied, in terms of physical and chemical characteristics, by methods such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). XRD measurements of wood ash samples showed that it consists of calcite and larnite. FTIR spectroscopy revealed a polymeric Si–O–Al framework in alkali-activated materials and Si–O bonding bands corresponding to silicon dioxide. Determination of radionuclide content was performed by means of gamma-ray spectrometry. Results showed that the alkaline activation process led to the decrease in the activity concentration of radionuclides detected in the measured samples. External radiation hazard index (Hex) for wood ash was reduced by more than 50% after alkali activation. The results of activity concentration measurements in alkali-activated materials indicate potential for their safe application in building construction.

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“…For example, not only secondary material of uranium mines results in a legacy radiological contamination [1], but also gold mining may produce the accumulation of radioactive materials in certain stages of the process [2]. Also, radioactive contamination was found in wood and its products [3], in particular in wood pellet [4]. Another source of contamination comes from the illicit dropout of nuclear sources that are molten in scrap metal [5].…”

Section: Scientific and Industrial Motivations Goals And Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Haptic Teleoperation of UAV Equipped with Gamma-Ray Spectrometer for Detection and Identification of Radio-Active Materials in Industrial Plants

Aleotti

Micconi

Caselli

et al. 2019

Factories of the Future

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Large scale factories such as steel, wood, construction, recycling plants and landfills involve the procurement of raw material which may include radiating parts, that must be monitored, because potentially dangerous for workers. Manufacturing operations are carried out in unstructured environments, where fully autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) inspection is hardly applicable. In this work we report on the development of a haptic teleoperated UAV for localization of radiation sources in industrial plants. Radiation sources can be localized and identified thanks to a novel CZT-based custom gamma-ray detector integrated on the UAV, providing light, compact, spectroscopic, and low power operation. UAV operation with a human in the loop allows an expert operator to focus on selected candidate areas, thereby optimizing short flight mission in face of the constrained acquisition times required by nuclear inspection. To cope with the reduced situational awareness of the remote operator, force feedback is exploited as an additional sensory channel. The developed prototype has been demonstrated both in relevant and operational environments.

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Radioactive contamination of wood and its products

Cited by 11 publications

References 7 publications

Exemplifying the “wild boar paradox”: dynamics of cesium-137 contaminations in wild boars in Germany and Japan

Exemplifying the “wild boar paradox”: dynamics of cesium-137 contaminations in wild boars in Germany and Japan

Radiological and Structural Characterization of Raw and Alkali-Activated Wood Ash and Metakaolin Blends

Haptic Teleoperation of UAV Equipped with Gamma-Ray Spectrometer for Detection and Identification of Radio-Active Materials in Industrial Plants

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