APPLICATION OF k0-INAA TECHNIQUE FOR THE ANALYSIS OF ESSENTIAL AND BENEFICIAL HEAVY ELEMENTS IN SOIL

  • Emmanuel Joseph
  • Y. A. Ahmed
  • F. N. Ikechiamaka
Keywords: k0 – INAA, nuclear reactor, essential mineral elements, beneficial heavy elements, plant growth

Abstract

The researchers analyzed the essential and beneficial heavy elements in soil that improve plant growth,
development and other functions in this study using k0 – INAA technique. The use of k0 – Instrumental
Neutron Activation Analysis (k0 – INAA) technique has become a veritable tool for multi-element analysis.
This method has been applied in this present study to assess essential mineral elements and beneficial heavy
elements that supports plants growth of fifteen (15) samples collected from Safana, Dan Musa and Kankia,
LGAs of Katsina State. The samples were properly prepared together with the standard reference material
(NIST Coal Fly Ash 1633b) and were irradiated at a thermal power level of 31.0 kW corresponding to a
neutron flux setting of 2.5 x 1011 cm-2 s-1 and 5.0 x 1011 cm-2 s-1 for the outer and inner irradiation channels
respectively using the Nigeria Research Reactor – 1 (NIRR – 1) at the Centre for Energy Research and
Training, Zaria. After irradiation, the samples were counted using a high-purity germanium detection system
(GEM 30195 coaxial detector) and the concentrations of eleven elements (Mg, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Na, K, Cr, Fe,
Co and Zn) from the samples and that of NIST Coal Fly Ash 1633b were measured using the k0 – IAEA
program. The result of the NIST Coal Fly Ash 1633b was in agreement with that of the certified values. The
concentrations of the elements measured from the samples shows that these elements are sufficient for plant
growth, except that some of

References

Adeleye, M. O., Ibrahim, Y. V., Njinga, R. L., Balogun, G. I.and Jonah, S. A. (2012). Determination of some metal contaminants from industrial effluents in North - West Nigeria using k0-NAA Standardization Method. Advances in Applied Science Research, 3 (2):678-684

Afzal Shah, Abdul Niaz, Nazeef Ullah, Ali Rehman, Muhammad Akhlaq, Muhammad Zakir, Muhammad Suleman Khan et al. (2013) “Comparative Study of Heavy Metals in Soil and Selected Medicinal Plants”, Journal of Chemistry, Article ID 621265, 5 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/621265 5

Published
2023-03-11
How to Cite
JosephE., AhmedY. A., & IkechiamakaF. N. (2023). APPLICATION OF k0-INAA TECHNIQUE FOR THE ANALYSIS OF ESSENTIAL AND BENEFICIAL HEAVY ELEMENTS IN SOIL. FUDMA JOURNAL OF SCIENCES, 1(1), 1 - 6. Retrieved from https://fjs.fudutsinma.edu.ng/index.php/fjs/article/view/1210

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