TY - JOUR
T1 - Mercury and gold concentrations of highly polluted environmental samples determined using prompt gamma-ray analysis and instrument neutron activation analysis
AU - Osawa, Takahito
AU - Hatsukawa, Yuichi
AU - Appel, Peter W.U.
AU - Matsue, Hideaki
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors started an international cooperative research arrangement as part of the Model Study in the Philippines for the Establishment of the Mercurial Environmental Pollution Improvement Program supported by the Sumitomo Foundation. Investigations in the Philippines were conducted at Paracale and Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte, and Virac, Benguet. In these regions, large amounts of mercury-polluted tailings are abandoned in tailing ponds enclosed by breastworks.
Funding Information:
This work has been fully supported by the Sumitomo Foundation . The authors thank the reviewer for the constructive comments and suggestions.
PY - 2011/4/15
Y1 - 2011/4/15
N2 - The authors have established a method of determining mercury and gold in severely polluted environmental samples using prompt gamma-ray analysis (PGA) and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Since large amounts of mercury are constantly being released into the environment by small-scale gold mining in many developing countries, the mercury concentration in tailings and water has to be determined to mitigate environmental pollution. Cold-vapor atomic absorption analysis, the most pervasive method of mercury analysis, is not suitable because tailings and water around mining facilities have extremely high mercury concentrations. On the other hand, PGA can determine high mercury concentrations in polluted samples as it has an appropriate level of sensitivity. Moreover, gold concentrations can be determined sequentially by using INAA after PGA. In conclusion, the analytical procedure established in this work using PGA and INAA is the best way to evaluate the degree of pollution and the tailing resource value. This method will significantly contribute to mitigating problems in the global environment.
AB - The authors have established a method of determining mercury and gold in severely polluted environmental samples using prompt gamma-ray analysis (PGA) and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Since large amounts of mercury are constantly being released into the environment by small-scale gold mining in many developing countries, the mercury concentration in tailings and water has to be determined to mitigate environmental pollution. Cold-vapor atomic absorption analysis, the most pervasive method of mercury analysis, is not suitable because tailings and water around mining facilities have extremely high mercury concentrations. On the other hand, PGA can determine high mercury concentrations in polluted samples as it has an appropriate level of sensitivity. Moreover, gold concentrations can be determined sequentially by using INAA after PGA. In conclusion, the analytical procedure established in this work using PGA and INAA is the best way to evaluate the degree of pollution and the tailing resource value. This method will significantly contribute to mitigating problems in the global environment.
KW - Environmental pollution
KW - Instrument neutron activation analysis
KW - Mercury
KW - Prompt gamma-ray analysis
KW - Small-scale mining
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79953224434&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.nimb.2011.01.129
DO - 10.1016/j.nimb.2011.01.129
M3 - Article
SN - 0168-583X
VL - 269
SP - 717
EP - 720
JO - Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms
JF - Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms
IS - 8
ER -
