* Corresponding author: Mostafa A. Algrifi, Department of Physics, College of
Education for Pure Science, University of Basrah – Iraq

E-mail addresses: mostafajawad88@gmail.com

DOI: https://doi.org/10.48112/bcs.v1i1.74

How to cite:
Algrifi, M. A. ., & Salman, T. (2022). Boron Determination in Basrah Rivers Using Solid State Nuclear Track Detector. Biomedicine and Chemical Sciences, 1(1), 1–5.
https://doi.org/10.48112/bcs.v1i1.74

Biomedicine and Chemical Sciences 1(1) (2022) 1-5

Boron Determination in Basrah Rivers Using Solid State

Nuclear Track Detector

Mostafa A. Algrifia*, Thaer M. Salmanb

a,b Department of Physics, College of Education for Pure Science, University of Basrah – Iraq

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Article history:
Consumers who ingest boron-contaminated food and water face a variety of
health concerns. As a result, the food boron content must be determined. For this

research, drinking water samples were collected from different areas in southern
Basrah, Iraq. The collected water samples were examined using the SSNTDs
method to determine boron levels. Boron values in the Al Khatwa district ranged
from 0.21 ppm to 9.8 ppm in Al Shuaiba farm2. The results of this investigation

were compared to worldwide standards and prior studies. The Iraqi government
may use these data to establish guidelines for reducing radioactive pollution of
Basrah's drinking water. The boron levels in the 43 surface water samples
evaluated in this study were lower than the international standard limits.

However, there are some regions where the rates are quite high. As a result, in
most areas, the boron level in Basrah's drinking water is normal. However, there
is a possibility that boron pollution will become a major issue soon. As a result,
further research will be needed in the future.

Copyright © 2021 Biomedicine and Chemical Sciences. Published by International Research and
Publishing Academy – Pakistan, Co-published by Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University – Iraq. This is an

open access article licensed under CC BY:

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)

Received on: 04 November 2021

Revised on: 20 November 2021
Accepted on: 22 November 2021

Published on: 01 January 2022

Keywords:

Boron concentration

CR-39
Neutron Source

Southern Basrah Governorates
Water Samples

1. Introduction

Boron is an element that may be found in rocks, soil,
and water. It is a member of the non-metallic family of
elements. It has an atomic number of 5 and a weight of

10.81. Boron has two isotopes: boron-10, which has a
19.8% abundance, and boron-11, which has an 80.2%
abundance (Nielsen, et al., 1992). Boron levels in the
Earth's crust are thought to be fewer than 10 parts per

million, although they are as high as 100 parts per
million in places where they're higher (Young, 2008).
Solid state nuclear track detector (SSNTDs) of diverse
materials are beneficial for scientific and technological

study at the fundamental level (Parks & Edwards, 2005).
SSNTDs are frequently used in the fields of radiation
protection and environmental radiation monitoring.
SSNTDs were found a few years ago; Salman et al (2015)

explained the fundamental principles, while (Parks, 2005)
offered a thorough explanation. The specifics of alpha

particle detection were reported by Nikezic (Tu, et al.,
2010).

As a consequence, some aspects of interest in this
study are merely highlighted. Two basic requirements

must be met, depending on the chemical treatment
(called etching) and observation technique: the particle
range and energy deposition must be acceptable
(Hermsdorf, 2009). This research describes the

preliminary findings of boron level detection data
collected from a variety of locations in Southern Basrah,
Iraq. The main goal is to look at the complicated changes
and interactions that occur with water flow, as well as to

figure out how dangerous these fluids are. The research
center is actually located in the Southern Basrah. The
chemical structure of boron is shown in Figure 1.

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Algrifia & Salmanb Biomedicine and Chemical Sciences 1(1) (2022) 1-05

Fig. 1. Boron-containing compounds (BCCs). The fundamental core structures for BCCs

SSNTDs of various materials are critical for basic
research and technological advancement (Salman &

Qasim, 2013). SSNTDs are commonly used in radiation
monitoring and protection in the environment. Some
years ago, a study conducted by Somogyi & Szalay,

(1973) and Durrani, & Bull, (2013) proposed the core
principles of SSNTD theory. From the perspective of the
BNCT (Nikezic & Yu, 2003), the details of alpha particle
detection are critical. A sample containing one of the

recognized boron compounds, even if only in trace
amounts, is required for the 10BNCreaction to occur, and
hundreds are involved in today's applications and on a
rising level, 10B, a source fixed for radioactivity with

thermal or minor neutron energy, is required for the
10BNCreaction to occur (0.025eV or lower), and a
reaction fragment identifying method is required. When a
neutron collides with a boron nucleus, it disintegrates

into two shards of the 10B+n compound nucleus (to set
aside a little amount of time, on the range of
picoseconds). The two pieces are the first to get kinetic
energy as a result of the strong Coulomb field going in the

opposite direction, which is generated via the following
procedure:

The first reaction has a lower frequency of occurrence
(6.1 percent), but it is a better reaction with fewer
photons, resulting in a higher Linear Energy Transfer

(LET) or dE/dx. A 0.48MeV photon follows the opposite
reaction, which happens sooner. Nuclear track
techniques, for example, can be used to identify the alpha
particle (4He+) if it has enough kinetic energy to travel

over the sample surface. The alpha particle fingerprint,
assuming a significant identifying significance, gives data
on the presence of boron and is sufficiently predicted as
an effective systematic approach for boron research. The

key conclusions from boron amount data collected from
different sites in Southern Basrah city are summarized in
this study. Our major goal is to conduct a study on the
complex exchanges and interactions that occur with

water flow, as well as to identify the number of hazards
that these fluids pose. As indicated in Figure 2, the
research area is in southern Basrah/Iraq.

Fig. 2. Governorate of Southern Basrah Basrah's map courtesy of Google Earth

Algrifia & Salmanb Biomedicine and Chemical Sciences 1(1) (2022) 1-05

2. Material & Methods

Samples were collected from 43 stations and locations
in the Basrah governorate in April 2021. Boron
concentrations in water were determined using passive

methods, namely SSNTDs. CR-39 films from the SSNTD
(1x1 cm). A large number of water samples from diverse
places have been supplied. One milliliter of various boron
concentration standards is sprayed and allowed to dry

onto the CR-39 track detector's identical region. The
standard samples are subjected to a thermal neutron
source for the same amount of time after drying (7 days).
It has been discovered that a nuclear reaction of type 10B

(n,α)7Li3 has happened. The CR-39 plastic detector can
detect alpha particles with an energy of 2.31 MeV. After
that, the samples are rinsed in distilled water before
being immersed in a 6.25 N (Normality) NaOH solution at

600C for 6 hours in a bath kept at a constant
temperature (etching duration). Track diameters and
density were measured using a transmission optical
microscope, and Boron concentration was determined

using a suitable calibration curve. The components of
each detector set were irradiated with neutrons generated
by 241Am-9Be.

2.1. Irradiation of the Samples

As shown in Figure 3, the pellets (water samples) are
shielded with a CR-39 detector and placed in a paraffin
wax plate 5cm from the neutron source 241Am-9Be, with
a thermal neutron flux of 5x103 n cm-2 S-1.

Fig. 3. Water samples and detectors being bombarded with thermal
neutrons in front of a neutron source

2.2. Scanning using a microscope and chemical etching

After 7 days of radioactivity, the CR-39 detectors are
removed and etched for 6 hours at 70 degrees Celsius in
a 6.25 N aqueous solution of NaOH (Singh, et al., 2001).

Before being air-dried, the detectors are washed with
distilled water. An optical microscope with a

magnification of 400 X is used to count the tracks verified
in CR-39 detectors. The following formula is used to

compute the density of the tracks in the detectors:

2.3. Water sample calibration curve

The curve plot between the standards for various boron
solutions of specified concentrations has been set from
2ppm to 1ppm for the calibration of our study and the

density of the track. Neutron-induced radiography (NIR)
is a technique that involves the use of neutrons to
produce images, a technique based on the CR-39 concept
of solid-state nuclear detectors (SSNTDs). The boron

content is determined by comparing the Regression
equation to compare the track densities recorded on the
detectors of the samples to those of the reference
samples: y=2767.67+352.715*X, R2 =0.97354. After

observing a linear calibration, as shown in Figure 4, the
slope factor was determined Within (mg B/l).

2 4 6 8 10
3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

5500

6000

6500

T
ra

c
k
d

e
n

s
it

y
(t

ra
c

k
/m

m
2
)

Boron Concentration (ppm)

Y=2767.67+352.715*X

R
2

=0.97354

Fig. 4. Relationship between track density and Boron content (ppm), in
typical Boron samples

3. Results & Discussion

A CR-39 detector was used to evaluate the track's

density and Boron concentration samples, as indicated in
Table 1. Water samples were taken from 43 locations
around the Southern Basrah governorate. The
relationship between Boron concentration and the

number of water sample sites is depicted in Figure 5.

Table 1
In Southern Basra Governorate, the SSNTDS method used to determine the

concentration of boron in the water

Sites numbers Sites Boron Concentration mg/L

W1
W2

W4
W5

W7
W8

W10

Sea side Dora
Sihan

Al Siba

Ras Al Bisha
FAO Center

Al Mumlahih

Hamdan
Abu Mughira

Al-Saraji

mhjran

0.6
0.48

0.52

5.4
1.5

5.8

0.62
0.57

0.64

0.6

Algrifia & Salmanb Biomedicine and Chemical Sciences 1(1) (2022) 1-05

W11

W12

W13
W14

W15

W16
W17

W18

W19
W20

W21

W22
W23

W24

W25

W26
W27

W28

W29
W30

W31

W32
W33

W34

W35
W36

W37

W38

W39
W40

W41

W42
W43

muhilah

Jaykur

Al Baradhaiya
Um Qasr farm 1

Um Qasr farm 2

Um Qasr farm3
Um Qasr farm4

Um Qasr farm5

Um Qasr farm6
Um Qasr Center

Al Hadaama

Khor Al Zubair Center
Khor Al Zubair Farm1

Khor Al Zubair Farm2

Khor Al Zubair Farm3

Zubair Center
Al Easkari district

Al Shuhada district

Al Khatwa district
Al Sahafiiyn district

Al'athar

Al Marbad
Al Qaim District

Al Burjsia

Al Shuaiba Center
Al Shuaiba farm1

Al Shuaiba farm2

Al Shuaiba farm3

Al Shuaiba farm4
Al Shuaiba farm5

Al Siba (tap water)

Hamdan (tap water)
Jaykur (tap water)

0.62

0.6

0.58
0.42

0.4

4.8
7.3

5.5

0.47
0.7

0.36
5.2

0.41

0.4

0.28
0.3

0.28

0.21
0.5

0.27

0.3
0.24

1.5

0.26
5.73

9.8

7.85

8
6.72

0.44

0.5
0.51

Fig. 5. Boron concentrations in Southern Basrah Governorate

Table 1 and Figure 5 were utilized to determine the

level of boron in water samples. The data for these 43
samples, which are split into 40 sites extending from W1
to W43, are shown in Figure 5. Boron concentrations
were observed to range from 9.8 ppm in Al Shuaiba farm2

to 0.21 ppm in Al Khatwa district. For health concerns,
the World Health Organization (WHO) established a boron
recommendation of 0.3 mg/L in 1993. This level was
significantly increased to 0.5 mg/L in 1998. Furthermore,

it was evident in 2000 that the 0.5 mg/L guidelines
should be abandoned until data from ongoing research
development may lead to modifications in the present
viewpoint of boron toxicity or boron treatment technology

(World Health Organization, 1998; Sivakumar, et al.,
2012). In 1998, the European Union set a boron limit of
1.0 mg/L for drinking water (Directive, 1998;
Shrivastava, et al., 2012). New Zealand has set a boron

guideline for drinking water of 1.4 mg/L (Salman &
Sweaf, 2019; Subber & Ali (2012). The safe boron
concentration in Canada, according to (IMAC), is 5 mg/L.
The Canadians came up with this figure based on current

treatment technologies. It is presently impossible to
decrease boron concentrations to fewer than 5 mg/L due
to a lack of technology. When additional information

becomes available, they will revisit this IMAC (Tallon, et
al., 2005).

4. Conclusion

Soils may be found in a variety of rural settings,

including Iraq's southern Basrah Governorate. Boron was
found in chemical soil studies in New Zealand, with a
limit of 1.4 ppm and an IMAC of 5 ppm, with a range of
(0.21- 9.8) ppm.The boron content in the majority of

water samples is low and below natural limits. But, some
areas have high concentrations. There is a 97.35 percent
correlation between the boron content of widely
distributed samples and track density (track/m2) in

water samples, which is an excellent connection. Having
proper access to safe drinking water is essential for
human health and is a major source of public health
issues.

Competing Interests

The authors have declared that no competing interests
exist.

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