Determination of the Concentrations of Physicochemical Parameters in Water and Soil from a Gold Mining Area In, Ghana

A. Faanu ； J. H. Ephraim ； E. O. Darko ； D. O. Kpeglo ； H. Lawluvi ； O. Adukpo

《Research Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences》 3卷2期 (2011/03) Pp. 177-186

並列摘要

The study assessed the concentration of U, Th and K as well as other trace metals, anions and the physical parameters in water and soil samples in a goldmine and its surroundings using NAA, AAS, UV-VIS spectrophotometer and gross alpha/beta counter. The mean concentrations of the U, Th and K were 0.020, 0.029 and 1.19 mg/L. The concentration of U, Th and K were variable in soil and rock samples taken from different locations in the study area with mean values varying in arrange of 0.2 to 1.8 μg/g, 0.9 to 2.6 μg/g and 7037 to 71360 μg/g, respectively. The concentrations of U, Th and K are comparable to world average values in similar studies. The calculated Th/U ratios show that there has not been significant fractionation during weathering or involvement in metasomatic activity of the radioelements with a mean value of 2.5. The concentrations of the other trace metals, anions and the physical parameters are within the WHO guideline levels in drinking water. The mean values of the gross-＂ and gross-$ activity concentrations were 0.012 and 0.137 Bq/L. These values are below the WHO recommended guideline values for drinking water. In general, the concentrations of U, Th and K in water and soil/rock samples were generally low even with the acidic conditions of the study area. The results obtained in this study also shows that the background radiation levels are within the natural limits and compared well with similar studies for other countries.

並列關鍵字

Gamma spectroscopy ； goldmine ； mineral processing ； natural radioactivity ； neutron activation