ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS OF RIVER SEDIMENTS BY PIXE AND PIGE

The Chaliyar river, located in Kerala, India has shown preoccupying pollution levels, that constitute a threat to public health and the ecological system. PIXE and PIGE techniques have been employed to measure the elemental concentrations in the river sediment samples. Thick targets were prepared out of the sediment samples collected from various sites along the course of the river. The measurements were carried out using 3 MeV proton beam obtained from 3 MV Tandem pelletron accelerator at Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar. The elemental concentrations, especially that of heavy metals, at different sites are discussed in detail. Our results show that sediments from a site where the industrial activities are high are significantly high in concentrations of heavy metals ( Cr , Ni , Cu , Zn , Hg and Pb ) than those collected from non-industrial sites. The measured values are compared with the average composition of unpolluted river sediments and other national and international river sediments.