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Contribution of flyash from coal-fired thermal power plants to uranium contamination of ground water

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Abstract

The elemental concentration of uranium in flyash and coal samples has been investigated using EDXRF and WDXRF techniques. To check the contribution of flyash to uranium contamination of ground water in the Malwa region of Punjab, the flyash and coal samples are collected from Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Power Plant (GNDTPP) in the Bathinda district of Punjab state, India. It is found that uranium concentration in the flyash is below the detection limit of the XRF set up, i.e. ~ 1 ppm. It is concluded that uranium contamination in the ground water of Malwa region is not due to the Thermal Power Plant.

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Acknowledgements

Financial funding support from the University Grant Commission (UGC), New Delhi under the Centre of Advance Study in Physics and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi, under FIST scheme. GS acknowledge the financial research funding support from Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB), New Delhi under the Young Scientist Research Award Scheme.

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Correspondence to Gurjeet Singh or Devinder Mehta.

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Singh, G., Singh, G., Rani, N. et al. Contribution of flyash from coal-fired thermal power plants to uranium contamination of ground water. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 318, 857–863 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-018-6079-7

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