Method validation and uncertainty evaluation of organically bound tritium analysis in environmental sample

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Radiochemistry

Background:

• Organically bound tritium (OBT) is a significant component of tritium in the environment.
• Accurate quantification of OBT is crucial for environmental monitoring and risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a robust analytical method for determining OBT in various environmental samples.
• To establish optimal parameters for OBT measurement using liquid scintillation spectrometry.

Main Methods:

• Optimization of sample drying, specialized combustion, and distillation processes.
• Measurement of OBT using a liquid scintillation spectrometer (LSC).
• Validation through recovery rate, reproducibility, and minimum detection concentration assessments.

Main Results:

• Achieved a consistent combustion water recovery rate of approximately 80% for dried environmental samples.
• Determined the minimum detection concentration for OBT ranging from 0.61 to 0.89 Bq/kg (dry weight).
• Demonstrated stable recovery rates suitable for low-level environmental sample analysis.

Conclusions:

• The developed method is reliable and suitable for OBT analysis in diverse environmental matrices.
• A sample weight of approximately 40 g provides sufficient combustion water for accurate LSC measurement.
• The validated method supports accurate environmental tritium monitoring.