Alpha track analysis and fission track analysis for localizing actinide-bearing micro-particles in the Yenisey River bottom sediments

Abstract Distribution of actinides in bottom sediment and flood land soil cores collected from the Yenisey River near the Krasnoyarsk Mining and Chemical Combine (MCC) were analyzed. Actinide-bearing micro-particles were localized using alpha track analysis (ATA) and fission track analysis (FTA). Different types of radioactive micro-particles were found by analysis of the ratios of fission tracks to α -tracks from single particles. The different origin of these particles was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersed microanalysis (SEM-EDX), secondary ion mass-spectrometry (SIMS) and single-particle α -spectrometry. It is established that for most of the radioactive micro-particles ATA and FTA are the only possible techniques to obtain information concerning their origin. For the studied samples of bottom sediments and flood land soils, it was established that 80–90% of alpha radioactivity is attributed to hot-particles with 238 Pu and 239,240 Pu as the major radionuclides. According to the sequential extraction data most of 238 Pu and 239,240 Pu is found in the residual low-soluble fraction.