Distribution of naturally occurring radionuclides (U, Th) in Timahdit black shale (Morocco).

Attention has been focused recently on the use of Moroccan black oil shale as the raw material for production of a new type of adsorbent and its application to U and Th removal from contaminated wastewaters. The purpose of the present work is to provide a better understanding of the composition and structure of this shale and to determine its natural content in uranium and thorium. A black shale collected from Timahdit (Morocco) was analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction and SEM techniques. It was found that calcite, dolomite, quartz and clays constitute the main composition of the inorganic matrix. Pyrite crystals are also present. A selective leaching procedure, followed by radiochemical purification and alpha-counting, was performed to assess the distribution of naturally occurring radionuclides. Leaching results indicate that 238U, 235U, 234U, 232Th, 230Th and 228Th have multiple modes of occurrence in the shale. U is interpreted to have been concentrated under anaerobic conditions. An integrated isotopic approach showed the preferential mobilization of uranium carried by humic acids to carbonate and apatite phases. Th is partitioned between silicate minerals and pyrite.

Influence of the experimental conditions on porosity and structure of adsorbents elaborated from Moroccan oil shale of Timahdit by chemical activation.

This study records experiments undertaken to determine the suitable conditions for the use of the oil shale of Timahdit, as an adsorbent for water treatment. A simple process was proposed based on chemical activation. The preparation has been carried out by carbonization after impregnation of the precursor with phosphoric acid. The effect of different conditions of preparation on the specific surface area is discussed. These parameters are H3PO4/shale weight ratio, carbonization temperature, carbonization time and concentration of H3PO4. The properties and surface structure of the adsorbent were investigated by XPS and FT-IR. Their total surface acidity and basicity were also determined. The retention process of methylene blue (MB) by adsorbents has been studied. It was found that MHP2 and MHP7 have relatively high retention ability as compared to activated carbons.

Natural radioactivity in phosphates, phosphogypsum and natural waters in Morocco.

The contents of natural radionuclides (uranium, actinium and thorium series) were measured in sedimentary phosphate rock samples using high-resolution gamma spectrometry. Data obtained for uranium content (ppm) were compared with the results obtained by a method based on the measurements using solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD) in the same samples. The potential leaching of radionuclides from sedimentary phosphate rock during the industrial production of the phosphoric acid was studied. The process of leaching of the radioisotopes from phosphogypsum was discussed. A method for the direct alpha counting of 226Ra thin source, elaborated by the deposition of Ra from aqueous solutions on manganese oxides film deposited on polyvinyl support, have been developed and applied for the determination of 226Ra in natural water samples. The results show that only the water sample from the mine area reveals the presence of 226Ra at a level of about 0.2 Bq l-1.