Bioaccumulation of metal pollutants and radionuclides in dragonflies (Odonata).

Element concentration, stable and radioactive isotope data from multiple environmental matrices in two mid-sized Central-European river basins.

Secondary neutron emissions and induced activity quantification during 14 MeV proton irradiation of thick natural yttrium target.

Inverting a new hydrogen map on the moon derived from Chang'E-2 gamma-ray spectrum data.

Tracking the current situation and key paths of phosphogypsum harmlessness.

Medicinal applications of bismuth(III): from antimicrobial to anticancer.

Development and field application of a vehicle-mounted NaI(Tl) gamma spectrometer for rapid mapping of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in agricultural soils

The determination of heavy trace metals in crude oil is essential for evaluating environmental risks and refining efficiency. This study investigates the qualitative and quantitative distribution of heavy trace metals in crude oil from major southern Iraqi oilfields (North Rumaila, Majnoon, and Zubair) using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). The liquid crude oil samples were thermally treated at 350 °C to produce a stable solid residue, which was then ground into a fine powder and compressed into pellets for LIBS analysis. To achieve efficient material ablation, the laser beam from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm, 300 mJ, 8 ns) was focused onto the pellet surface using a 50 mm focal length lens. This setup created a focal spot diameter of approximately 0.4 mm, resulting in a calculated laser fluency of 238.8 J/ at the target surface. The generated plasma light was then collected and analyzed using an Ocean Optics HR4000CG-UV-NIR spectrometer, equipped with a Toshiba TCD1304AP linear CCD array detector (3648 pixels) covering a spectral range of 200–790 nm. Finally, elemental identification and spectral consistency were verified using the NIST atomic spectra database. A wide range of toxic and radioactive elements (Hg, Pb, Cd, U, Ra) along with transition and noble metals (W, Sn, Mo, Ag, Pt, Au, Ir, Rh) were successfully identified. Quantitative analysis showed strong linearity (R² up to 0.9961), low detection limits (as low as 0.001841% for Pb), and acceptable precision (RSD < 6%). Elemental distribution revealed significant variability, with Hg (6.03–9.65%) and Pb (2.26–6.87%) as dominant contaminants, and pronounced enrichment in the Zubair sample (W3). These findings confirm that LIBS is a rapid, sensitive, and reliable technique for multi-element analysis in crude oil. The observed distribution of heavy trace metals highlights their environmental and industrial significance, particularly in pollution monitoring and refining processes, and demonstrates the potential of LIBS as an effective tool for petroleum characterization and geochemical assessment. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31257/2018/JKP/2023/v15.i02.13216

As adsorption of radioactive elements in wastewater has drawn growing attention, developing new materials for complex practical radioactive environments is of great importance. In this study, we report two flexibly adaptive cages that serve as a high-performance adsorbent for trace iodine-131 (131I) in off-gas and polluted water such as real nuclear medical radioactive wastewater. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the porous cage crystals possess a flexible window that can expand and contract to achieve selective coordination of 131I in complex water, thus promoting adaptive binding and full utilization of active sites. The cages exhibit a record high iodine uptake capacity of 6.1 g g-1 across a wide pH range and in the presence of a large excess of competing anions, which is 8 times higher than that of the relatively rigid CC3 cage (∼0.8 g g-1). Notably, the cages can be used to decrease the total β radioactive activity concentration in actual nuclear medical wastewater containing trace iodine from 1232.97 Bq L-1 to 2.406 Bq L-1, well below the stringent global discharge limit and the US EPA standard of 10 Bq L-1. This work demonstrates the potential of flexible and inflatable cages for trace 131I capture in complex radioactive water remediation.

Nuclear power provides a sustainable energy with high efficiency and develops fast in the past decades. To process the nuclear wastes, the behaviors, structures, coordination number, and average radius of solvated actinide ions are required to be explored theoretically due to the high-level radioactivity. Herein, we developed the TGMin-MLP package and trained the machine learning potentials (MLP) for the mono-nuclear americium-water clusters. Then, the trained MLP was applied to searching the most stable structures of both mono-nuclear Am(H2O)n3+ (n = 1 ~ 20) and poly-nuclear Amn(H2O)503n+ (n = 1 ~ 6) actinide-water clusters. The results reveal the saturated coordination number of the Amn3n+ core is 9, 16, 20, 23, 28 and 32, respectively. In addition, the average radius of solvated Amn3n+ core is ranked as Am3+ (2.52Å) < Am26+ (3.19Å) < Am39+ (3.40Å) < Am412+ (3.62Å) < Am515+ (3.85Å) < Am618+ (4.10Å). This work trained the MLP and searched the most stable structures of clusters, providing new insights on the actinide solution chemistry, especially the structures, solvation number and average radius of solvated Amn3n+ cores. Overall, the TGMin-MLP package and the findings on actinide-water clusters advance both computational actinide chemistry and practical nuclear waste treatment, opening new avenues for the high-throughput study of hydrated actinide clusters, polynuclear speciation, and solution-phase behavior of radioactive heavy elements. We developed the TGMin-MLP package to search the most stable structures of clusters by using the well trained MLP, and investigate the coordination number and average radius of Am3+ ions both for the mono- and poly-nuclear americium-water clusters Amn(H2O)m3n+. The results predict the possible structures, saturated solvation numbers and radius of Amn(H2O)m3n+ clusters. The GM structures were also re-optimized at the DFT ZORA PBE0-D4/def2-TZVP (H, O)/SARC-ZORA-TZVP (Am) level of theory with dispersion, solvation and relativistic effects corrections by using the ORCA (v6.1.0) package.

Factors influencing radon risk in mining areas: In Situ verification of multi-criteria tool.

Toxicogenomic assessment of 137Cs in zebrafish embryos across developmental stages using an AOP network approach.

Influence of pyoverdine on plutonium-239 speciation evolution in contaminated soils.

This study utilizes the results of experiments on cluster fission and decay of fissile materials using cosmic ray muons to reduce the radiotoxicity of debris melted and solidified during the severe accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Experiments confirmed that relatively stable radioactive thorium-232 undergoes nuclear transmutation into stable isotopes of lead and magnesium, halting the reaction. When radioactive powder is uniformly mixed with lead oxide and pure metal powder and heated in a thermite reaction, muon-induced cluster fission occurs instantaneously, followed by beta decay and transmutation into stable lead isotopes within a few hours. Radiation levels drop to background levels, and the radioactive material disappears. More than 1000 experiments conducted over 20 years have confirmed that in addition to thorium-232, mixed radioactive isotopes such as uranium dioxide and americium can be simultaneously transmuted and that a proven 100-pound (45 kg) reactor can process approximately 5 kg of radioactive material at a time. This research also includes feasibility studies on a radioactive debris reduction system that combines a robotic cart, a muon reactor, and an air purification system to collect and process debris that melted and solidified after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Molecular imaging enables the non-invasive visualization of physiological processes at the cellular and molecular levels and is central to diagnostic nuclear medicine. Among clinically important theranostic radionuclides, 64Cu and 111In are of particular interest due to their favourable decay characteristics and applications in radiopharmaceutical development. Their cyclotron production via the 64Ni(p,n)64Cu and 111Cd(p,n)111In reactions generally require irradiation of enriched solid targets to achieve adequate yields. Although liquid target approaches have been explored, solid targets remain preferable for radiometal production due to higher yields and more efficient utilization of enriched target material. To enhance the capability of the two-decade old commercial medical cyclotron (PETtrace 800) at the Radiation Medicine Centre (RMC), originally configured only for liquid and gaseous targets, an indigenously designed and fabricated solid target irradiation assembly was developed and integrated into the Medical Cyclotron Facility (MCF). This work demonstrates the successful routine production of pharmaceutical-grade 64Cu and 111In, achieving yields of 74MBq µA- 1h- 1 and 4.88MBq µA- 1h- 1, respectively. This development significantly broadens the functional scope of the existing cyclotron infrastructure and establishes a dependable local production pathway for clinically important theranostic radionuclides.

Near-field dispersion of radioactive nuclides from nuclear power plants under different meteorological conditions.

Proficiency testing for official laboratories for 137Cs and 134Cs determination in soil.

Efficient and rapid decontamination of radioactive elements is important to prevent radioactive exposure. Herein, we develop a strippable catechol-terminated polyurethane (CPU) coating for effective surface decontamination. Our polyurethane coating can be directly applied to contaminated surfaces via simple spraying or solution casting, followed by rapid drying at room temperature. The resulting coating is easily stripped off with sufficient toughness and adhesion strength, showing superior 137Cs removal efficiency on stainless steel (∼94.9%) and rough cement (∼59.1%), in a much shorter time (<3 h) compared to commercial decontamination coatings (∼93.8% on stainless steel and ∼8.4% on cement after 24 h). This performance can be attributed to the strong adhesion and cohesion mediated by catechol moieties. Furthermore, after use, the coating waste is readily dissolvable in acetone, suggesting potential for reducing radioactive waste with the aid of an appropriate separation process, thereby preventing secondary contamination. These results establish CPU as a promising radioactive decontamination strategy.

Are we safe? Exploring psychological factors affecting radiation risk perception of dwellers in old uranium mining quarters.

Blends of coal with potential fuels, such as bagasse, may help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study investigates the combined effect of Thar lignite coal and sugarcane bagasse on their suitability for gasification or combustion. Extensive experimental investigations were conducted to assess the suitability of these blends as potential fuels. The Gross Calorific Value of Thar coal blended with sugarcane bagasse was found to be ∼8,610 Btu/lb, 8,387 Btu/lb, 7,968 Btu/lb, and 7,448 Btu/lb after being mixed in ratios of 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% with coal, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed weight loss with increasing temperature in Thar coal; the data obtained will help in setting parameters for fluidized bed conditions. The activation energy and frequency factor were determined to be 68.11 kJ/mol and 636.60 min −1 , respectively. Gamma spectrometry was also performed on these samples, revealing the presence of four main natural radioactive elements: 127.4 ± 45.2 Bq/kg for 40 K, 2.1 ± 0.3 Bq/kg for 235 U, 71.2 ± 12.1 Bq/kg for 238 U, and 20.7 ± 3.1 Bq/kg for 40 K, 235 U, 238 U, and 232 Th. The radiometric measurements of Thar coal show lower emissions compared with the global average values of activity concentration in coal samples. The composition of a 50% bagasse and Thar coal blend results in a notable reduction in sulfur and ash content; however, there is some compromise in the heating value (from 8,610 to 7,969 Btu/lb). The findings of the present study will significantly impact sustainable energy and environmental protection by demonstrating that blending sugarcane bagasse with Thar lignite coal can effectively reduce GHG emissions, thereby contributing to cleaner energy production. These results encourage policymakers and industry stakeholders to adopt biomass-coal blending for sustainable development and environmental benefits. Future research should focus on developing advanced gasification and combustion technologies, along with comprehensive emission control measures, to further reduce GHGs and enhance energy efficiency.