Effective separation method for uranium and thorium after borate fusion to minimize matrix influences in naturally occurring radionuclide materials

Abstract

Borate fusion pretreatment is an easy and rapid decomposition for NORM samples. In order to analyze the concentrations of U and Th by ICP-MS, the separation methods were investigated and a comparative study of the three methods was performed. The separation method using resin eliminated most of the matrix effects, the Fe coprecipitation method was the easiest and simplest to perform, and the PEG method showed excellent ability to remove Si from some samples. This study can be useful in the determination of the most suitable method for ICP-MS for matrix removal according to the type of NORM sample.