An instrumental neutron activation analytical (INAA) technique is used for the determination of thirty elements in five coal samples collected from Kapar power station, imported from Indonesia and Australia. Analyses of the samples are being associated with standards. All irradiations were performed in the nuclear reactor of Malaysia Nuclear Agency (MNA). Samples were counted by Hyper Pure Germanium (HPGe) detector for short period irradiations at MNA, while for the long period irradiations the samples were counted at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). The concentrations of thirty elements have been determined: The major components are Cl, Ca, Mg, K, Fe, Ti and Na with the mean concentrations in the range between 70±69 ppm- 6100±1639 ppm; and the trace elements are Zr, V, Mn , Sc, Cr, Co, As ,Br ,Rb ,Sb ,Ba , La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb, Lu, Hf, Th, U and Ta with the mean concentrations in the range between 0.1381±0.0202 - 69.0±2.8 ppm. The results have been compared to the reported data of eight coal samples from the United States and the reported data of Australian bituminous coal.
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the suitability of different sites as locations for obtaining underground water for consumption. The analysis of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K from rock samples from each layer of borehole at a depth of ∼50 m at Site A borehole, S3L1-S3L6 in Gosa and 40 m at Site B borehole, S4L1-S4L5 in Lugbe, Abuja, north central Nigeria is presented. The gamma-ray spectrometry was carried out using a high-purity germanium detector coupled to a computer-based high-resolution multichannel analyzer. The activity concentrations at Site A borehole for ²³⁸U have a mean value of 26 ± 3, ranging from 23 ± 2 to 30 ± 3 Bq kg⁻¹, ²³²Th a mean value of 63 ± 5, ranging from 48 ± 4 to 76 ± 6 Bq kg⁻¹ and ⁴⁰K a mean value of 573 ± 72, ranging from 437 ± 56 to 821 ± 60 Bq kg⁻¹. The activity concentrations at Site B borehole for ²³⁸U have a mean value of 20 ± 2, ranging from 16 ± 2 to 23 ± 2 Bq kg⁻¹, ²³²Th a mean value of 46 ± 4, ranging from 43 ± 4 to 49 ± 4 Bq kg⁻¹, ⁴⁰K a mean value of 915 ± 116 and ranging from 817 ± 103 Bq kg⁻¹ to 1011 ± 128 Bq kg⁻¹. It is noted that the higher activity concentrations of ²³²Th and ²³⁸U are found in Site A at Gosa. Site B has lower radioactivity, and it is recommended that both sites are suitable for underground water consumption.