Spectrochemical analysis of Cs in water and soil using low pressure laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

An experimental study has been conducted for the practical and in situ application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for the detection of Cs pollutant in water and soil in the nearby area of Fukushima Nuclear Power Station. The spectrochemical measurements were carried out by means of 355 nm Nd-YAG laser with N-2 and He ambient gases at atmospheric and low pressures. The soil samples were prepared by pelletizing the mixtures of 80% soil and 20% KBr while the aqueous samples were prepared as thin films electro deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass. The resulted emission spectra using 0.5 kPa N-2 ambient gas shows the minimum detectable Cs concentration of 0.2 ppm and 0.3 ppm in the water and soil samples, respectively. The result of this experiment has thus demonstrated the viability of the LIBS equipment employed here as a more practical, in-situ and even mobile alternative to the standard use of gamma-ray spectroscopy using germanium detector. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.