Portable X-ray fluorescence system to measure Th and U concentrations

Highlights: • We present results of the analysis of TENORM from waste industrial material. • Analyses were performed with non-destructive EDXRF technique. • The article shows how to use the well-known EDXRF technique to identify the isotopes thorium and uranium. • The use of specific absorber filters to improve this methodology. • The article shows how to quantify Th and U in the range of tens of ppm using small quantities of material. - Abstract: This study reports the results obtained in the analysis of waste material samples generated by the industries of phosphate fertilizers, in particular, the use of specific filters in a portable X-ray fluorescence system, a simple equipment allowing the characterization, identification and quantification of low concentrations of Th and U (ppm). The industrial byproduct is classified as a Technologically-Enhanced, Naturally-Occurring Radioactive Material - TENORM, and therefore requires monitoring for its radio-toxic activity due to the presence of radioactive thorium and uranium families. From the results obtained, it is concluded that this technique is able to determine the contents of these elements to concentrations of tens of ppm in measurements of about 300 s, and a small sample amount (∼0.1 g).