ANALYSIS OF RADIONUCLIDES AND RARE EARTH ELEMENTS CONTENT IN SOIL SAMPLES USING X-RAY FLUORESCENCE (XRF) SPECTROMETRY METHOD

• Main Author: Humolungo, Ismail
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/77670
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

The high average natural gamma radiation dose rate in Mamuju Regency and Bangka Belitung Island shows that the uniqueness is related to the high concentrations of the radioactive elements uranium, thorium and potassium deposited in the rocks in the two areas. To find out the cause of the high rate of radiation dose in these two areas, in this research a laboratory test was carried out with the XRF method using the EDXRF tool. The specimens used in this XRF test were in the form of powder and pellets. 5 soil samples from Mamuju Regency and 4 soil samples from Bangka Island were analyzed. However, 4 samples from Bangka Island could not be measured on pellet specimens. The results showed that the radioactive elements uranium (U) and thorium (Th) in the samples were quite high, namely 3581.448 ppm for Th and 890.208 ppm for U in soil samples from Mamuju District. A positive correlation between U and Th was obtained with a value of 6.66 and a positive correlation was also shown by the relationship between U and Th which showed the enrichment of U elements along with the enrichment of Th elements. From the comparison of U and Th to U/Th and Th/U which shows the occurrence of enrichment of the two elements on the surface (Upergene enrichment). From the XRF tests carried out, it was also detected several rare earth elements in the form of oxides in both samples, namely, Y2O3, La2O3, CeO2, Pr6O11, and Nd2O3.