Production and characterisation of reference materials in support of environmental monitoring and radiochemical analysis of naturally occurring radionuclides

Environmental monitoring and radiochemical analysis of natural occurring radioactive materials (NORM) is an integral part of the efforts to protect public health and minimise the environmental impact from industrial activities including mining, reprocessing and extraction of oil and gas.

One of the approaches to achieve accurate analysis of NORM is through the development and validation of suitable reference materials for radiological characterisation of waste streams arising from industry. At present, there is a lack of reference materials applicable for the analysis of naturally occurring radionuclides in solid wastes such as scale, sand, metal oxides etc. produced by industry and containing natU, 232Th, 226, 228Ra, 210Pb and 210Po. There are also issues with fundamental decay data in several cases.
The proposed project will develop radiochemical procedures for the characterisation of a wide range of NORM materials to accurately measure the radionuclide content as well as other components, including heavy metals and organics. Studies will be undertaken on the preparation of aqueous and solid reference materials containing certified amounts of key contaminants.

The research will take advantage of the strong collaboration between the University of Surrey and the radioactivity group at the National Physical Laboratory, the UK’s National Measurement Institute. The student will gain experience in the use of multiple analytical techniques, including radiochemical procedures, gamma-spectrometry, liquid scintillation counting, alpha-spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The study will involve inactive trials using stable element standards to rapidly assess the effectiveness of sample preparation techniques, followed by active trials to test the materials and procedures developed on real waste samples.

The procedures and final materials developed will be traceable to national standards, and will benefit a number of analytical laboratories in the UK and Overseas. Outputs will be in the form of peer-reviewed publications, presentations at national and international conferences and relevant analytical working groups.

The project would suit a candidate with a strong background (first or upper second) in chemistry or similar. Applicants should apply via the online portal (http://www.surrey.ac.uk/postgraduate/chemistry-phd) by Friday 31st March and be available for interview (in person or by Skype on or around Monday 10th April).