Natural radionuclide emission from coal-fired power plants in the southwestern of Turkey and the population exposure to external radiation in their vicinity

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of radionuclide emission on the environment from Yataǧan, Yeniköy and Kemerköy coal-fired power plants which are located in southwestern Anatolia of Turkey, the concentrations of natural radionuclides such as 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in coal, bottom ash and fly ash samples, have been measured, as well as the concentration of the same radionuclides in surface soils. The dose rate arises from the total radioactivity content of soil that the people living by the power plants are exposed to be assessed additionally. The average activity concentrations of 226Ra for Yataǧan CPP is 80 ± 22 Bq kg–1 ranging from 56 to 131 Bq kg–1, for Yeniköy CPP is 138 ± 20 Bq kg–1 ranging from 115 to 189 Bq kg–1, for Kemerköy CPP is 238 ± 80 Bq kg–1 ranging from 134 to 356 Bq kg–1 in coal; average activity concentrations of 226Ra in fly ash and in bottom ash for above-mentioned power plants are 334 ± 60 Bq kg–1 ranging from 291 to 481 Bq kg–1, 461 ± 33 Bq kg–1 ranging from 398 to 511 Bq kg–1, 815 ± 254 Bq kg–1 ranging from 316 to 1260 Bq kg–1, 276 ± 51 Bq kg–1 ranging from 222 to 349 Bq kg–1, 285 ± 69 Bq kg–1 ranging from 213 to 409 Bq kg–1, 743 ± 234 Bq kg–1 ranging from 366 to 1098 Bq kg–1, respectively. The radionuclides activity concentrations of surface soil in the vicinity of coal-fired power plants are 32 ± 9 Bq kg–1 (18–53 Bq kg–1) for 226Ra, 37 ± 16 Bq kg–1 (17–89 Bq kg–1) for 232Th, 455 ± 165 Bq kg–1 (203–794 Bq kg–1) for 40K relevant to Yataǧan CPP; 42 ± 30 Bq kg–1 (9–168 Bq kg–1) for 226Ra, 32 ± 14 Bq kg–1 (6–74 Bq kg–1) for 232Th, 365 ± 151 Bq kg–1 (117–937 Bq kg–1) for 40K relevant to Yeniköy and Kemerköy CPP. As a result, average dose rates in the vicinity of coal-fired power plants have been calculated to be 56 ± 16 nGy h–1 ranging from 30 to 100 nGy h–1 for Yataǧan CPP, 54 ± 22 nGy h–1 ranging from 15 to 126 nGy h–1 for Yeniköy and Kemerköy CPP. To sum up, the natural radionuclide activity concentrations of burnt coal and ashes thrown out from these three power plants are quite high relative to the world average UNSCEAR[ 1 ] data. In addition, the average 226Ra, 232Th and 40K activity concentration values of surface soil samples and the calculated gamma dose rates in the vicinity of power plants were located within the worldwide intervals reported by UNSCEAR,[ 30 ] with some local differences.