Analysis of municipal waste dump soil using a low power reactor. A study by instrumental neutron activation analysis

Soil samples from an open waste dump site and a background sample from a site located beside Kashmir Highway near sector H-11, Islamabad, were analyzed for 36 major, minor and trace elements. Suitable instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) methodology was developed through optimization of irradiation, cooling and counting protocols using a 27 kW low power miniature neutron source reactor (MNSR). Large variations in the composition of soil samples taken from the dump site were observed and it was found that most of the elements including Al, Ca, Ti, As, Br, Ce, Co, Cs, Ga, Hf, Mn, Nd, La, Sb, Sc, Sm, Sn, Ta, Tb Th, V, Yb, Zn, Eu, Se, and Zr, in the background soil lie in the concentration range of the dump soil sample. However, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Ba, Rb, Sr, U, Zn, Hg and Sb were found to be in higher amounts in the dump site samples. To validate the developed INAA methodology and to ensure the accuracy and precision of the results, IAEA Lake Sediment (SL-1) and IAEA Soil-7 (S-7) were analyzed as control materials. (orig.)