Application of the alpha spectrometry for the study of core sediment extracted in the San Marcos dam in Chihuahua

Abstract

The determination of the specific activities of $^{210}$Po and isotopic uranium by alpha spectrometry was performed in a sediment core from San Marcos Dam. The objective of this work was to analyze the vertical distribution of isotopic uranium and $^{210}$Po and the behavior of these radionuclides along sediment core collected from the San Marcos Dam. Sample was divided into 11 sections, in which $^{210}$Po and Isotopic Uranium were determined using liquid-liquid extraction with tributyl phosphate (TBP). Furthermore, it was made a comparison between the TBP technique and the technique of extraction chromatography using UTEVA resins for uranium. The results of specific activities for $^{210}$Po show a trend to decrease along the core, whereas the uranium isotopic does not show a pointed trend. The results of isotopic ratios between the $^{234}$U and $^{238}$U show that they are close to secular equilibrium in each of the core sections. The comparison between the two uranium extraction techniques indicates that chemical yield is better using the UTEVA technique than TBP extraction.