Naslov
A new approach to determine the phosphogypsum spread from the deposition site into the environment

Autori
Bituh, Tomislav ; Vučić, Zlatko ; Marović, Gordana ; Prlić, Ivica

Izvornik
Journal of hazardous materials (0304-3894) 261 (2013); 584-592

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
phosphogypsum; model; stationary diffusion; migration; radioactivity

Sažetak
Phosphogypsum (PG), a waste product in phosphate fertilizer production, is characterized by technically enhanced natural radioactivity. The presented investigation was performed on a PG deposition site in Croatia. A new approach in the determination of the spread of PG particles from the deposition site into the environment based on the PG particle radioactivity measurements is suggested and explained. The stationary diffusion model was assumed and employed to describe long term PG particle transfer into the surroundings. The advantage of this method is that it requires a minimal number of measurement locations and offers a realistic and reliable distribution of PG particles. The mass concentration of PG particles decreased to the distance of about 3 m, at most up to 10 m from the deposition site edge. The results indicate that a unique mechanism of particle transport exists and the migration of PG particles by surface water is the dominant way of their spread. The particle current deduced from the measurements was very low, approximately 4.05 • 10-2 kg/h, and the migration coefficient was approximately 1.69 • 10-5 m2/h. The obtained results confirmed the initial hypothesis of the stationarity of the migration process, reached within about 6 years.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Fizika, Javno zdravstvo i zdravstvena zaštita

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