Work

Determination of 14C in radwaste samples through sequential wet oxidation and acid stripping extraction

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: 14 C is a long half-life nuclide ( t 1/2 = 5730 y) produced naturally and artificially. It is a difficult-to-measure nuclide because of its pure beta decay, but identifying it is essential to ensuring appropriate radwaste disposal and management. This study developed and optimized a practical process for analyzing 14 C from 21 radioactive waste samples. The measured activity of 14 C in the radioactive waste samples ranged from 0.05 ± 0.04 to 68.83 ± 0.13 Bq g −1 , and their scaling factors ( 14 C-to- 60 Co activity ratio) were calculated to be 0.035–1.015. In summary, the developed simple and low-cost sequential wet-oxidation-acid-stripping extraction process can be routinely used for determining 14 C in low-level radwaste samples in the laboratory.

Source: Nuclear Engineering and Technology

DOI: 10.1016/j.net.2026.104129