Effect of grain size on radon emanation coefficient, surface and mass exhalation rates and the correlation coefficient between them in different masses of soil and phosphate fertilizer

Fatimh Alshahri

doi:10.1515/ract-2018-3027

Article

Effect of grain size on radon emanation coefficient, surface and mass exhalation rates and the correlation coefficient between them in different masses of soil and phosphate fertilizer

Fatimh Alshahri

Published/Copyright: February 1, 2019

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From the journal Radiochimica Acta Volume 107 Issue 2

Abstract

It is important to study the behavior of recoiling radon atoms ²²²Rn after decay of parent ²²⁶Ra and the effect of parameters on their access to the surrounding medium. The present study was carried out using CR-39 detector to study the effect of grain size on the correlation between surface and mass exhalation rates and the correlation between emanation coefficient and exhalation rate at different masses of soil and phosphate fertilizer. In addition, the relationship between emanation coefficient and the sample mass was studied for different grain sizes (0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 1 mm). The results showed that there is no effect of grain sizes on the correlation coefficient between surface and mass exhalation rates in soil and fertilizer. The correlation coefficient between emanation coefficient and exhalation rate in different masses of soil was slightly influenced by the grain sizes. While the correlation coefficient between emanation coefficient and exhalation rate in different masses of phosphate fertilizer samples was not affected by the grain sizes (0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 mm). However, it was found that the emanation coefficient decreases exponentially with the mass for soil and phosphate fertilizer. This relationship was not significantly affected by grain size in soil except grain size 1 mm. While this relationship was affected by grain size >0.3 mm in phosphate fertilizer.

Keywords: Grain size; sample mass; radon; exhalation rates; emanation coefficient; soil and phosphate fertilizer

Appendix

Table A.1:

Surface exhalation rate, E_S, and mass exhalation rate, E_M, for different masses, M, of soil and phosphate fertilizer samples with different grain sizes, GS.

Type of sample	GS (mm)	M (g)	E_S (Bq/m h)	E_M (Bq/kg h)	GS (mm)	M (g)	E_S (Bq/m h)	E_M (Bq/kg h)
Soil	0.1	7	0.293	0.118	0.3	7	0.299	0.121
		12	0.20	0.047		12	0.168	0.04
		17	0.233	0.039		17	0.121	0.021
		22	0.150	0.019		22	0.092	0.012
		30	0.078	0.007		30	0.339	0.032
		35	0.078	0.006		35	0.046	0.004
	0.5	7	0.413	0.167	1	7	0.018	0.007
		12	0.502	0.118		12	0.055	0.013
		17	0.332	0.055		17	0.617	0.103
		22	0.020	0.003		22	0.015	0.002
		30	0.373	0.035		30	0.014	0.001
		35	0.021	0.002		35	0.025	0.002
Phosphate fertilizer	0.1	1.2	0.899	2.12	0.3	1.2	0.111	0.261
		2.5	1.07	1.21		2.5	0.334	0.377
		3.5	2.88	2.33		3.5	0.375	0.303
		5.5	0.064	0.033		5.5	0.04	0.02
		8.5	0.899	0.299		8.5	0.014	0.005
		12.5	0.091	0.020		12.5	0.027	0.006
		1.2	0.899	2.12		1.2	0.111	0.261
	0.5	1.2	0.074	0.175	1	1.2	0.179	0.421
		2.5	0.082	0.093		2.5	0.066	0.075
		3.5	0.018	0.014		3.5	0.022	0.018
		5.5	1.68	0.861		5.5	0.862	0.443
		8.5	1.53	0.508		8.5	0.033	0.011
		12.5	0.013	0.003		12.5	0.22	0.05
		1.2	0.074	0.175		1.2	0.179	0.421

Table A.2:

Radon emanation coefficient, E, for different masses of soil and phosphate fertilizer samples with different grain sizes.

Type of sample	GS (mm)	M (g)	E	GS (mm)	M (g)	E	GS (mm)	M (g)	E	GS (mm)	M (g)	E
Soil	0.1	7	0.100	0.3	7	0.103	0.5	7	0.142	1	7	0.006
		12	0.04		12	0.034		12	0.10		12	0.011
		17	0.033		17	0.017		17	0.047		17	0.087
		22	0.016		22	0.01		22	0.002		22	0.002
		30	0.006		30	0.027		30	0.03		30	0.001
		35	0.005		35	0.003		35	0.001		35	0.002
Phosphate fertilizer	0.1	1.2	0.71	0.3	1.2	0.088	0.5	1.2	0.059	1	1.2	0.141
		2.5	0.406		2.5	0.127		2.5	0.031		2.5	0.025
		3.5	0.780		3.5	0.101		3.5	0.005		3.5	0.006
		5.5	0.011		5.5	0.007		5.5	0.289		5.5	0.149
		8.5	0.10		8.5	0.002		8.5	0.170		8.5	0.004
		12.5	0.007		12.5	0.002		12.5	0.001		12.5	0.017
		1.2	0.71		1.2	0.088		1.2	0.059		1.2	0.141

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Received: 2018-07-12

Accepted: 2018-09-24

Published Online: 2019-02-01

Published in Print: 2019-02-25

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https://doi.org/10.1515/ract-2018-3027

Keywords for this article

Grain size; sample mass; radon; exhalation rates; emanation coefficient; soil and phosphate fertilizer