Origin and stability of uranium accumulation-layers in an Alpine histosol.
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License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
UNIL restricted access
State: Public
Version: author
License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Serval ID
serval:BIB_5DC855874EEF
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Origin and stability of uranium accumulation-layers in an Alpine histosol.
Journal
The Science of the total environment
ISSN
1879-1026 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
0048-9697
Publication state
Published
Issued date
20/07/2020
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
727
Pages
138368
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: ppublish
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
Uranium (U) accumulation in organic soils is a common phenomenon that can lead to high U concentration in montane wetlands. The stability of the immobilized U in natural wetlands following redox fluctuations and re-oxidation events, however, is not currently known. In this study, we investigated a saturated histosol that had accumulated up to 6000 ppm of U at 30 cm below ground level (bgl). Uranium in the waters feeding the wetland originates from the weathering of surrounding gneiss rocks, a process releasing trace amounts (<3 ppb) of soluble U into nearby streams. Redox oscillations in the first 20 cm bgl led to the accumulation of U, Ca, S in low permeability layers at 30 and 45 cm bgl. XRF measurements along the core showed that U strongly correlates with sulfur (S) and calcium (Ca), but not iron (Fe). We tested the stability of uranium in the histosol over a nine-month laboratory amendment of a large core of the histosol (∅ 30 cm; length 55 cm) with up to 500 ppm nitrate. Nitrate addition was followed by complete nitrate reduction and re-generation of oxidizing E <sub>h</sub> conditions in the top 25 cm of the soil without U release to the soil pore waters above background levels (1-2 ppb). Our results demonstrate that, fast reduction of nitrate, sulfate, and Fe(III) occur in the soil without U release. The remarkable stability of sorbed U in the histosol may result from buffering by sulfide and S <sub>n</sub> ° and/or strong U(IV)-OM or U(VI)-OM enhanced by organic S moieties or bridging complexation by Ca. That U in the soil was immobile under nitrate addition for up to 9 months can inform remediation strategies based on the use of artificial wetlands to limit U mobility in contaminated sites.
Keywords
Environmental Engineering, Waste Management and Disposal, Pollution, Environmental Chemistry, Groundwater quality, Nitrate amendment, Organic matter, Redox cycling, U mobility
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Funding(s)
University of Lausanne
Create date
22/04/2020 10:29
Last modification date
25/07/2023 5:58