Radioactive characterization of charcoal as a tool in identifying fossil contamination

In the pyrolysis process carried out to obtain charcoal from plants, a concentration of the radionuclides found in trace amounts in the raw material is produced. This fact would influence its possible uses. Radioactive characterization of a wide set of charcoal samples from different provenances was analysed. Activity concentrations of the radionuclides from the 238U and 232Th series, and also for 40K, 134Cs and 137Cs nuclides were obtained by gamma-ray and alpha-particle spectrometry. A discussion of these results is included comparing them with coal. A possible contamination of charcoal samples by fossil matter, such as coal, was studied via 14C analysis carried out by accelerator mass spectrometry.