Abstract
Abstract This work presents a study of natural radioactivity levels in coal and its combustion residues (fly ash and slag) used in the houses in Black Sea Region, Turkey. Coal, fly ash and slag samples were provided from different locations of the region and analyzed by gamma spectroscopy using a high-purity germanium detector (HPGe). Also, chemical analyses of these samples were carried out using energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The mean 226Ra activity concentrations in coal, slag and fly ash were measured as 83, 99 and 38Bqkg–1, respectively. The mean 232Th activity concentrations in coal, slag and fly ash were measured as 108, 113 and 50Bqkg–1, respectively. The mean 40K activity concentrations in coal, slag and fly ash were found to be 366, 381 and 204Bqkg–1, respectively. The potential radiological hazards associated to these materials were evaluated by calculating the radium equivalent activity (Raeq), the air absorbed gamma dose rate (D), the annual effective dose rate (AED), the external hazard index (Hex) and internal hazard index (Hin) and compared with the internationally accepted or reference values. The mean Raeq values of the coal, fly ash and slag samples were lower than the recommended maximum values 370Bqkg–1 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The overall mean outdoor terrestrial gamma air absorbed dose rate in coal, fly ash and slag samples are 119, 129 and 62nGyh–1 and the corresponding outdoor annual effective doses are 0.60, 0.32 and 0.64mSvy–1, which is higher than the worldwide average (0.07mSvy–1), respectively. Moreover, the enrichment factors relative to the input coal are calculated for the radionuclide contents observed. Calculated enrichment factor values for 226Ra and 232Th were found 1.14 and 1.01, respectively.
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