High-temperature catalytic oxidation preparation and liquid scintillation counting determination of the carbon-14 in liquid effluent samples from nuclear power plants

Abstract

Carbon-14 (14C) detection and quantification is crucial to the radioactivity level monitoring of liquid effluents at nuclear power plants in China. Herein, a high-temperature catalytic oxidation (HTCO)-based preparation methodology is proposed. The samples were combusted using a high-temperature furnace, and the trapped carbon dioxide-14 was regenerated before being measured via liquid scintillation counting (LSC). The validation of the method was carried out according to 14C-spiked standards, with the results in agreement with the assigned radioactivity concentration for 14C, demonstrating that the HTCO-based 14C preparation and the determination via LSC were both reliable and accurate.