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Radiocarbon level in the Atmosphere of Ramnicu Valcea, Romania

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 November 2019

I Faurescu Open the ORCID record for I Faurescu [Opens in a new window] ,
C Varlam ,
I Vagner ,
D Faurescu ,
D Bogdan  and
D Costinel
I Faurescu*
Affiliation:
National Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies – ICSI Rm.Valcea, Romania
C Varlam
Affiliation:
National Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies – ICSI Rm.Valcea, Romania
I Vagner
Affiliation:
National Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies – ICSI Rm.Valcea, Romania
D Faurescu
Affiliation:
National Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies – ICSI Rm.Valcea, Romania
D Bogdan
Affiliation:
National Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies – ICSI Rm.Valcea, Romania
D Costinel
Affiliation:
National Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies – ICSI Rm.Valcea, Romania
*
*Corresponding author. Email: ionut.faurescu@icsi.ro.
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Abstract

This paper presents radiocarbon (14C) variations in the atmosphere from Ramnicu Valcea, Romania. The samples were collected in the vicinity of the Experimental Pilot Plant for Tritium and Deuterium Separation (PESTD) from the Institute of the Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies (ICSI) placed about 10 km south from the Ramnicu Valcea city (Romania), in the Govora industrial area. This facility is an experimental project in the national nuclear energy research program, which has the aim of developing technologies for tritium separation from heavy water. It should be noted that in the Govora industrial area operates a 315 MW coal-fired thermoelectric power plant and two chemical plants. In order to determine radiocarbon activity in the atmosphere, samples were collected monthly by absorption of CO2 into sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at Ramnicu Valcea. In addition, control materials (tree leaves, wild vegetation, and grapes), known activity standards, and process blanks (marble) were analyzed. Radiocarbon measurements were performed using the direct absorption method and liquid scintillation counting. The measured Δ14C levels varied between –57‰ and 61‰. The results have a decreasing trend, but due to local influence caused by the continuous production of fossil CO2, we cannot observe Δ14C seasonal variations.

Keywords

atmosphereLSCradiocarbon
Type
Conference Paper
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 61 , Issue 6: Radiocarbon 2018 Conference Proceedings Trondheim, Norway, June 17–22, 2018 Part 2 of 2 , December 2019 , pp. 1625 - 1632
Copyright
© 2019 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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Footnotes

Selected Papers from the 23rd International Radiocarbon Conference, Trondheim, Norway, 17–22 June, 2018

References

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