Assessment Of Radiological And Heavy Metalpollution Due To Cement Industry In Obajana And Its Environs, Nigeria 

Filed in Physics Project Topics by on October 18, 2020

Assessment Of Radiological And Heavy Metalpollution Due To Cement Industry In Obajana And Its Environs, Nigeria 

ABSTRACT  

The Radiological and heavy metal concentration due to cement production activities in Obajana cement factory and environs were investigated.

A total of twelve (12) Soil samples, six (6) Cement finished product, ten (10) water samples, six (6) rock samples, six (6) and plant crop (Cassava) were collected and analyzed.

The radiation dose level of all sampling point was measured with a portable survey meter (Rados model RDS 120).

Gamma spectrometry using NaI(Tl) detector was used in determining the activity concentration of primodial radionuclides in solid samples,

water samples were analyzed using MPC 2000 gross Alpha/Beta counter for gross Beta and Alpha radioactivity, Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) was used for the analysis of some selected heavy metals in Water and Rock samples, while Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) was used for elemental concentrations in soil samples.

The mean activity concentration of primordial radionuclides (226Ra, 232Th and 40K) in soil, mining site, Cement finished product and Cassava were found to be:

(47.2956, 77.5699, 601.8127)Bqkg -1 , (26.84435, 59.98768, 362.3639) Bqkg -1 , (36.0011, 49.2077, 146.6098) Bqkg -1 , and (20.3514, 37.4710, 164.4322)Bqkg – 1 respectively, which were slightly below world standard.

INTRODUCTION 

Cement industry is one of the most important industries in the world and is considered strategical and economical Industry. Furthermore, for period of time the national development was measured by production and measuring of cement.

Therefore, cement remains the key material to modern infrastructure industry and criterion for advancement of urbanization in Nigeria. It is the basic material for building and civil engineering construction (Alsop, 2007).

Cement is produced mainly from limestone and some small quantities of other materials such as clay, gypsum, laterite, shale and ion oxide (White, 1981).

There is no two cement plants that will have exactly the same raw mix design formula because of the vast range of raw materials and their different composition (Alsop, 2007).

In Dangote cement factory, cement production undergoes different processes such as quarrying and handling of raw materials, grinding the clinker, blending, packing and shipping of the finished products.

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