Determination of the air/water partition coefficient of groundwater radon using liquid scintillation counter

A method was studied for measuring air/water partition coefficient (Kair/water) of groundwater radon by a simple procedure using liquid scintillation counter (LSC). In contrast conventional techniques such as equilibrium partitioning in a closed system or air striping methods, the described method allow for a simple and uncomplicated determination of the coefficient. The (Kair/water) of radon in pure water has been well known quantitatively over a wide range of temperatures. In this work, groundwater samples having high radon concentration instead of distilled water have been used to determine the (Kair/water) of radon in the temperature range of 0-25. Aqueous phase in a closed system was used in this study instead of gaseous phase in conventional methods. Three kinds of groundwater taken from different geologic environments were used to investigate the effect of groundwater properties. With the aim to evaluate the reproducibility of the data an appropriate number of laboratory experiments have been carried out. The results show that tie (Kair/water) of radon in the groundwater is smaller than that in the pure water. However, the temperature effect on the coefficient is similar in the groundwater and the pure water. The method using aqueous phase in a closed system by LSC can be used to determine the (Kair/water) of radon in various groundwaters with a simple procedure. The results will be presented at the NAC-IV conference