Development of a new electrodeposition method for Pu-determination in environmental samples

Using an ammonium oxalate-ammonium sulfate electrolyte containing diethyl triamino pentaacetic acid (DTPA), we developed a simple and quantitative technique for preparing sources for analytical alpha spectrometry. To determine the optimum conditions for plating plutonium, parameters affecting the electrodeposition of plutonium such as current and pH of electrolyte have been investigated. An optimized electrodeposition procedure for the determination of plutonium has been validated by application to IAEA-Reference soils. The developed method has been applied to determine fallout Pu in environmental samples such as soil, sediment and moss samples in Korea.