Transfer of Natural Radionuclides from Soil to Abu Dhabi Date Palms

Prasoon Raj (), Nemeer Padiyath, Natalia Semioshkina, Francois Foulon, Ahmed K. Alkaabi, Gabriele Voigt and Yacine Addad
Additional contact information
Prasoon Raj: Emirates Nuclear Technology Center (ENTC), Department of Nuclear Engineering, Khalifa University (KU), Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 127788, United Arab Emirates
Nemeer Padiyath: Emirates Nuclear Technology Center (ENTC), Department of Nuclear Engineering, Khalifa University (KU), Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 127788, United Arab Emirates
Natalia Semioshkina: Cognitive Radioecology, r.e.m. GbR, Liebigstr. 3, 80538 Munich, Germany
Francois Foulon: Emirates Nuclear Technology Center (ENTC), Department of Nuclear Engineering, Khalifa University (KU), Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 127788, United Arab Emirates
Ahmed K. Alkaabi: Emirates Nuclear Technology Center (ENTC), Department of Nuclear Engineering, Khalifa University (KU), Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 127788, United Arab Emirates
Gabriele Voigt: Cognitive Radioecology, r.e.m. GbR, Liebigstr. 3, 80538 Munich, Germany
Yacine Addad: Emirates Nuclear Technology Center (ENTC), Department of Nuclear Engineering, Khalifa University (KU), Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 127788, United Arab Emirates

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 18, 1-14

Abstract: Nuclear power and modern agriculture are two crucial sectors for sustainable development in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As these industries mature rapidly in the country, their long-term inter-compatibility needs monitoring with local data on transfer of radionuclides from arid sandy soils to farm products. Date palms, main crop from the Arabian Peninsula, remain largely unstudied for radioecological impact assessments. This paper reports the first measurement of soil to UAE date palms concentration ratios for natural radionuclides. Representative samples of soils, fruits, and leaves from seven palms in Abu Dhabi have been studied using gamma-spectrometry. Average activity concentrations in the soils are around 278.9 Bq kg −1 for 40 K, 15.5 Bq kg −1 for 238 U, and 8.3 Bq kg −1 for 232 Th. The latter two decay chains, in the plant samples, are close to detection limits, signifying their lower levels in the UAE flora and the need for upgrading analytical techniques. The geometric means of soil to fruit concentration ratios are 1.12 for 40 K, but negligibly low for the others—approximately 0.08 for 238 U and 0.17 for 232 Th chains. The respective ratios for the leaves are approximately 0.13, 0.36, and 0.77. Personal radiation doses due to soils and dates are very low, posing no danger to the public.

Keywords: radioecology; nuclear power; soil radioactivity; plant sciences; agricultural sustainability; energy studies; arid land; impact assessment; NORM; potassium; middle east (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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