Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 22 No 5 (2018):  794 - 806

DOI: 10.17576/mjas-2018-2205-07

 

 

 

Bioaccessibility Assessment of ²³²Th  and ²³⁸U from Lanthanide Concentrate and Water Leach Purification Residue in Malaysia

 

(Penilaian Bio-Kebolehcapaian bagi ²³²Th  Dan ²³⁸U dalam Lantanida Pekat dan Residu Permurnian Larut Resap Air di Malaysia)

 

Nur Shahidah Abdul Rashid¹*, Um Wooyong¹, Yasmin Mohd Idris Perama², Amran Ab.Majid², Khoo Kok Siong²

 

¹Division of Advanced Nuclear Engineering,

Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Republic of Korea

²School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology,

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding Author :  nurshahidah@postech.ac.kr

 

 

Received: 28 September 2017; Accepted: 11 August 2018

 

 

Abstract

The aim of this case study was to estimate the bioaccessibility of ²³²Th and ²³⁸U from lanthanide concentrate (LC) and water leach purification (WLP) residue of Lynas Advanced Materials Plant by analysing the solubility of these radionuclides in synthetic gastrointestinal fluids. A DIN in vitro bioaccessibility method was applied to determine the targeted radionuclides from the LC and WLP residue, which were further evaluated through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. ²³²Th and ²³⁸U concentrations in the gastrointestinal fluids portrayed the maximum amount of contaminants that were potentially available for intestinal absorption and transfer into the blood. The maximum concentrations of ²³²Th in the LC and WLP residue were 0.1410 ± 0.0331 mg kg^-1 and 0.1621 ± 0.1190 mg kg^-1, respectively. As for ²³⁸U in the LC and WLP residue during the intestinal phase for high-risk cases, the maximum concentrations were 0.0558 ± 0.0164 mg kg^-1 and 0.0480 ± 0.0213 mg kg^-1, respectively. The maximum bioaccessibility of ²³²Th and ²³⁸U was 0.14 % and 0.93 %, respectively. Based on the assessment, the committed equivalent dose and committed effective dose of ²³²Th and ²³⁸U were below the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation reference values. Overall, the DIN in vitro bioaccessibility method is feasible to estimate the solubility of ²³²Th and ²³⁸U from LC and WLP residue, and is also useful for monitoring and risk assessment purposes for environmental, health, and contaminated samples.

 

Keywords:  bioaccessibility, thorium, uranium, lanthanide concentrate, water leach purification

 

Abstrak

Tujuan kajian ini ialah mengkaji bio-kebolehcapaian ²³²Th dan ²³⁸U dari sampel lantanida pekat (LC) dan residu pemurnian larut resap air (WLP) yang terdapat di loji bahan termaju Lynas, dengan kaedah penentuan melalui kebolehlarutan radionuklid tersebut di dalam cecair sintetik gastrousus. Sampel LC dan residu WLP telah menjalani teknik bio-kebolehcapaian in vitro DIN, dan seterusnya sampel dianalisis menggunakan Spektrometer Jisim-Gandingan Plasma Teraruh. Kepekatan ²³²Th dan ²³⁸U dalam cecair gastrousus mewakili jumlah maksimum pencemaran radionuklid yang berpotensi diserap ke dalam badan melalui usus dan berpindah ke dalam darah. Kepekatan maksimum ²³²Th dalam LC dan residu WLP ialah 0.1410 ± 0.0331 mg kg^-1 dan 0.1621 ± 0.1190 mg kg^-1. Bagi ²³⁸U dalam LC dan residu WLP semasa fasa usus bagi kes berisiko tinggi ialah 0.0558 ± 0.0164 mg kg^-1 dan 0.0480 ± 0.0213 mg kg^-1. Nilai bio-kebolehcapaian maksimum bagi ²³²Th  dan ²³⁸U ialah 0.14% dan 0.93%. Berdasarkan kajian, dos komited setara dan dos komited berkesan bagi ²³²Th dan ²³⁸U adalah di bawah nilai rujukan United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. Kesimpulannya, teknik bio-kebolehcapaian in vitro DIN sangat berguna untuk menganggar kelarutan ²³²Th dan ²³⁸U bagi tujuan pemantauan berterusan dan penilaian risiko terhadap alam sekitar, kesihatan manusia, dan sampel tercemar.

 

 

Kata kunci:  bio-kebolehcapaian, torium, uranium, lantanida pekat, permurnian larut resap

 

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