Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Establishing a pre-mining baseline of natural radionuclides distribution and radiation hazard for the Bled El-Hadba sedimentary phosphate deposits (North-Eastern Algeria)

  • S. Benarous (Laboratory of Theoretical Physics and Radiation-Matter Interactions, University of Blida) ;
  • A. Azbouche (Algiers Nuclear Research Centre) ;
  • B. Boumehdi (Draria Nuclear Research Centre) ;
  • S. Chegrouche (Draria Nuclear Research Centre) ;
  • N. Atamna (SOMIPHOS Mining Company) ;
  • R. Khelifi (Laboratory of Theoretical Physics and Radiation-Matter Interactions, University of Blida)
  • Received : 2022.02.24
  • Accepted : 2022.06.07
  • Published : 2022.11.25
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Abstract

Since the implementation of the phosphate project in Bled El-Hadba (BEH) deposit, western region of Tébessa, no detailed study has been conducted to assess the natural radioactivity distribution and the associated radiological risk parameter for this open-pit mine. For the sake of determining a credible premining reference database for the region of interest, 21 samples were collected from different geological layers of the above-mentioned deposit. Gamma Spectrometry was applied for measuring radioactivity using a high resolution HPGe semiconductor detector. The obtained activity results have shown a significant broad variation in the radioactive contents for the different phosphate samples. The total average concentrations (in Bq·kg-1) for 226Ra, 238U, 235U, 232Th and 40K computed for the different type of phosphate layers were found to be 570 ± 169, 788 ± 280, 52 ± 18, 66 ± 6 and 81 ± 18 respectively. The mean activity concentrations of the measured radionuclides were compared to other regional and worldwide deposits. The ratios between the detected radioisotopes have been calculated for spatial distribution of natural radionuclides in the study area. Based on the aforementioned activity concentrations, the corresponding radiation hazard parameters were assessed. Correlations between the obtained parameters were drawn and a multivariate statistical analysis (Pearson Correlation, Cluster and Factor analysis) was carried out in order to identify the existing relationships.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The authors are thankful to the director and staff of the Algerian Mining Company (SOMIPHOS), for their help. We gratefully acknowledge our team members for their assistance and cooperation in the laboratory work.

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