The effects of Kangal Thermal Power plant to the enviroment and radiological evaluation of usage of thermal power plant wastes

In this study, the influence of Kangal coal-fired Thermic Power Plant (CFPP) on natural radionuclide concentrations and usability of fly ash and slag wastes as additives raw materials in construction industry and geotechnical applications was evaluated from a radiological point of view. Activity concentrations of natural (226Ra, 232Th and 40K) and artificial (137Cs) radionuclides in 110 soil samples collected from near of Kangal CFPP, 12 coal samples, 13 fly ash samples and 12 slag samples were measured by using a gamma-ray spectrometer with HPGe detector. The average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs were measured as 37.4, 17.4, 222.2 and 13.8 Bq/kg for soil samples, 187.5, 15.9, 99.1 and 5.9 Bq/kg for coal samples, 903.3, 43.2, 307.9 and 16.9 Bq/kg for fly ash samples and 619.8, 40.9, 329.6 and 14.8 Bq/kg for slag samples, respectively. Outdoor absorbed gamma dose rate, annual effective dose rates from external exposure and inhalation of radon, lifetime cancer risk, annual effective dose for members of public and workers for different scenarios, radium equivalent activity index, activity concentration indexes and alpha index were estimated for radioecological and radiological evaluation and compared with national/ international criterion values.