Radiochemical Analysis of Pu , U and Sr Isotopes in Soil Samples with

Recently, several studies have reported on combined procedures for the determination of radionuclides in soils or sediment samples with extraction chromatographic materials such as the TRU, Sr and TEVA Spec resins. These methods are somewhat difficult to apply for very low levels of fallout radionuclides without using large amounts of extraction chromatographic resin. Therefore, it is necessary to develop improved determination methods for actinides with lower detection limits, faster turnaround time and reduced analysis costs. It is also desirable that the method does not generate any appreciable amount of mixed waste or hazardous wastes. In order to meet these challenges, a procedure has been developed to provide sequential determination of plutonium, uranium and radiostrontium in soil samples. By sequentially analyzing the entire sample, it is possible to avoid repeating the extra and unnecessary digestion/dissolution processes, which are quite time consuming and costly. Minimum detectable activity (MDA) is also achieved by analyzing the whole sample, rather than dividing it into small subsamples for each individual analysis. In order to reduce the analysis cost and turnaround time in conventional methods, a sequential determination for Pu, Radiochemical Analysis of Pu, U and Sr Isotopes in Soil Samples with Anion Exchange, UTEVA, Strontium Resin†