Applications Related to the Production of Nuclear Materials

Applications in the Characterization oe High-Levee Nuceear Waste 

Some of the many applications in this category include the use of ICP-MS to support the processing, stabilization, and long-term storage of high-level waste (HLW). 

Applications Involving the Monitoring of the Nuclear Industry s Impact on the Environment 

An example of this approach was reported by Hollenbach and coworkers, who determined a suite of radionuclides ( °Th, 11, Pu, and °Pu) with relatively long half-lives in a series of soil samples using automated FI to separate the matrix and preconcentrate the analytes by the use of solid-phase extraction and pass the eluent directly into the ICP-MS nebulizer. Detection capabilities in solution (becquerel/ liter—Bq/L) and directly in the soil (becquerel/kilogram—Bq/kg) using this methodology are shown in Table 19.11. 

The conclusion of the authors was that this fully automated quadrupole ICP-MS method was faster, less labor intensive, and generated less laboratory waste than traditional radiochemical methods. They also pointed out that an additional benefit was that they were able to detect radionuclides such as Pu and Pu, which could not be resolved by traditional radiochemical methods. 

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