Distribution of naturally occurring radionuclides in soil around a coal-based power plant and their potential radiological risk assessment

Abstract Coal-fly-ash is one of the major byproducts of coal-based power plant in which naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) are drastically enriched compared to those of feed coals. Thus, improper management of fly-ash may introduce additional radioactivity to the surrounding environment and cause radiological risk. So, in order to study the distribution of radionuclides in soil around a coal-based power plant and to evaluate their radiological risk, soil, coal and fly-ash samples were analyzed by using a HPGe detector for U-238, Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40 radioactivity concentrations. Furthermore, soil minerals were also studied by X-ray diffractometer to assess the mineralogical provenance of the radionuclides. Mean radioactivity concentrations (in Bq·kg −1 ) of U-238, Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40 in soil samples…