Supervisors info:
Αθανάσιος Γκοντελίτσας Επικ. Καθηγητής (Επιβλέπων), Νικόλαος Βούλγαρης Αναπλ. Καθηγ., Θεόδωρος Μερτζιμέκης Επίκ. Καθηγητής
Summary:
The present study was conducted in collaboration with the Environmental
Association of Municipalities of Athens - Piraeus (EAMAP). The purpose of the
present study was the determination of the radionuclides concentrations of the
phosphogypsum deposited in the Schistos waste site (Piraeus, Greece), as well
as the study of potential radiation release to the surrounding environment.
Sampling was carried out in collaboration with EAMAP, using GPS, in order to
record the exact location of each sampling site. Afterwards, several laboratory
and analytical techniques were employed to characterize the phosphogypsum and
soil samples collected from the deposit and the surrounding environment. These
techniques included powder-XRD, XRF, SEM-EDS and γ-ray spectrometry using a
HPGe detector. In addition, laboratory experiments, such as TCLP procedure and
leaching experiments using rainwater from the Attica region, were conducted.
Finally, the experimental results obtained from the γ-ray spectrometry were
distributed in maps created using GIS (Geographic Information Systems). The
resulted maps showed the radionuclides distribution in our studied area and the
potential hazard. The distribution indicated the existence of an area, in which
the radionuclides, more specifically the most imporant 226Ra, show elevated
concentrations. This can be attributed to the fact that phosphogypsum is
exposed at the time in the studied area.
Keywords:
Phosphogypsum, 226Ra, Radioactivity distribution, GIS maps
