Elemental composition of salt sediments of drinking water in Northern Kazakhstan (the case of Akmolа and Northern Kazakhstan regions)

Abstract

The relevance of the work is due to the possibility of using drinking water scale as an indicator of water quality. The results of studies of salt deposits (scale) of drinking water in Akmola and North Kazakhstan regions, obtained by the method of instrumental neutron activation analysis in a certified laboratory of Tomsk Polytechnic University, are presented. The contents of the following 28 chemical elements are determined: Na, Ca, Sc, Cr, Fe, Co, Zn, As, Br, Rb, Sr, Ag, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb , Lu, Hf, Ta, Au, Th, U.  Based on the results of the analysis, the calculation of the statistical parameters of the content of chemical elements in the scale in Northern Kazakhstan was carried out. The data on the scale content relative to the average value for the Akmola region, which showed the accumulation of scandium, arsenic, silver, antimony, cesium, barium, neodymium, samarium, terbium, ytterbium and lutetium, and for the North Kazakhstan region of sodium, chromium, lanthanum and uranium. Geochemical series have been constructed and the following specific elements have been identified in terms of the concentration coefficient in the studied territories: Sc, Fe, Co, Ag, Cs, Hf, Ta, Th, Nd, Sm, Sr, Sb. The presence of these elements in the salt deposits of drinking water in Northern Kazakhstan can be explained by the peculiarities of the geological structure of the territories and anthropogenic load. Key words: chemical elements, indicator, salt deposits, scale, instrumental neutron activation analysis, Northern Kazakhstan.