<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The aim of the present research was to assess the radiological importance of the fly ashes generated from the incineration of sludge from the “Czajka” sewage treatment plant located in Warsaw, Poland. The γ-spectrometry technique was employed for their radiometry. The high purity germanium (HPGe) detector was mathematically energy-efficiency calibrated. The ash samples were measured two times, i.e., after 24 days and after 3 months of storage. Storage was supposed to provide a radioactive equilibrium. Radionuclides from three natural decay series, i.e., uranium–radium, uranium–actinium, and thorium, were detected in the ash samples. Apart from these, 40K, 137Cs, and 7Be were also detected. The indicated levels of radionuclides do not produce radioactive hazards, regardless of the method used for further management.
</abstract>

The aim of the present research was to assess the radiological importance of the fly ashes generated from the incineration of sludge from the “Czajka” sewage treatment plant located in Warsaw, Poland. The γ-spectrometry technique was employed for their radiometry. The high purity germanium (HPGe) detector was mathematically energy-efficiency calibrated. The ash samples were measured two times, i.e., after 24 days and after 3 months of storage. Storage was supposed to provide a radioactive equilibrium. Radionuclides from three natural decay series, i.e., uranium–radium, uranium–actinium, and thorium, were detected in the ash samples. Apart from these, 40K, 137Cs, and 7Be were also detected. The indicated levels of radionuclides do not produce radioactive hazards, regardless of the method used for further management.

Radiation impact of ashes from the combustion of bottom sediments in a municipal sewage treatment plant, Czajka, located in Warsaw, Poland

Nukleonika

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The aim of the present research was to assess the radiological importance of the fly ashes generated from the incineration of sludge from the “Czajka” sewage...

Element	Average content in mass percentage
C, carbon	1.86
O, oxygen	33.99
Na, sodium	0.40
Mg, magnesium	1.60
Al, aluminum	13.15
Si, silicon	13.36
P, phosphorus	9.18
S, sulfur	0.92
K, potassium	1.33
Ca, calcium	13.93
Ti, titanium	0.70
Mn, manganese	0.25
Fe, iron	8.13
Cu, copper	0.43
Zn, zinc	0.75

Radionuclide	Mean specific activity ± SD (Bq/kg)
¹³⁷Cs	5 ± 2
⁷Be	479 ± 98
⁴⁰K	417 ± 442
Uranium–radium series
^234mPa	149 881 ± 97 150
²¹⁰Bi	2 762 ± 2 310
²³⁴Th	446 ± 395
²¹⁴Bi	4 670 ± 2 762
²¹⁰Pb	286 ± 228
²²⁶Ra	41 ± 30
Thorium series
²²⁸Ac	382 ± 239
²¹²Bi	960 ± 566
²¹²Pb	92 ± 44
²⁰⁸Tl	15 ± 5
Uranium–actinium series
²³⁵U	5 ± 3

Radiation impact of ashes from the combustion of bottom sediments in a municipal sewage treatment plant, Czajka, located in Warsaw, Poland

Article Category: Original Paper

Published Online: Jun 25, 2024

Page range: 107 - 111

Received: Oct 03, 2023

Accepted: Apr 30, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nuka-2024-0015

Keywords
Fly ashes, Radioactivity, Sewage, Sludge combustion

© 2024 Sławomir Neffe et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 3.

Fig. 4.

Fig. 5.

Average content in mass percentage determined by the EDX technique

The mean value of the specific activity and its standard deviation (SD) for radionuclides detected in samples of ashes from the “Czajka” plant

Radiation impact of ashes from the combustion of bottom sediments in a municipal sewage treatment plant, Czajka, located in Warsaw, Poland

Article Category: Original Paper

Published Online: Jun 25, 2024

Page range: 107 - 111

Received: Oct 03, 2023

Accepted: Apr 30, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nuka-2024-0015

KeywordsFly ashes, Radioactivity, Sewage, Sludge combustion

© 2024 Sławomir Neffe et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 3.

Fig. 4.

Fig. 5.

Average content in mass percentage determined by the EDX technique

The mean value of the specific activity and its standard deviation (SD) for radionuclides detected in samples of ashes from the “Czajka” plant

Keywords
Fly ashes, Radioactivity, Sewage, Sludge combustion