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Beaumais A, Mangeret A, Suhard D, Blanchart P, Neji M, Cazala C, Gourgiotis A. Combined U-Pb isotopic signatures of U mill tailings from France and Gabon: A new potential tracer to assess their fingerprint on the environment. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 430:128484. [PMID: 35739667 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Uranium milling activities have produced high volumes of long-lived radioactive processed wastes stored worldwide in near surface environment. The aim of this study is to highlight relevant tracers that can be used for environmental impact assessment studies involving U mill tailings. A multi-tracer study involving elemental content, 238U decay products disequilibria and stable Pb isotopes was performed in different types of U mill tailings (alkaline, acid, neutralized acid) collected from five Tailings Management Facilities in France (Le Bosc, L'Ecarpière, Le Bernardan, and Bellezane) and Gabon (Mounana). Our results showed that U and Pb concentrations range between 30 and 594 ppm and 66-805 ppm, respectively. These tailings have a strong disequilibrium of (234U/238U) and (230Th/238U) activity ratios (1.27-1.87 and 6-65, respectively), as well as higher 206Pb/207Pb (1.86-7.15) and lower 208Pb/207Pb (0.22-2.39) compared to geochemical background ((234U/238U) and (230Th/238U) equal to unity; 206Pb/207Pb = 1.20; 208Pb/207Pb = 2.47). In situ analyzes (SEM, SIMS) showed that Pb-bearing phases with high 206Pb/207Pb are related to remaining U-rich phases, S-rich phases and potentially clay minerals or oxyhydroxides. We suggest that the combination of the 206Pb/207Pb with the (234U/238U) ratio is a relevant tool for the fingerprinting of the impact of U milling activities on the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélien Beaumais
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE/LELI, LETIS, USDR, PSE-SANTE/SESANE/LRSI, 31 Av. de la Division Leclerc, Fontenay-aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Arnaud Mangeret
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE/LELI, LETIS, USDR, PSE-SANTE/SESANE/LRSI, 31 Av. de la Division Leclerc, Fontenay-aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - David Suhard
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE/LELI, LETIS, USDR, PSE-SANTE/SESANE/LRSI, 31 Av. de la Division Leclerc, Fontenay-aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Pascale Blanchart
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE/LELI, LETIS, USDR, PSE-SANTE/SESANE/LRSI, 31 Av. de la Division Leclerc, Fontenay-aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Mejdi Neji
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE/LELI, LETIS, USDR, PSE-SANTE/SESANE/LRSI, 31 Av. de la Division Leclerc, Fontenay-aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Charlotte Cazala
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE/LELI, LETIS, USDR, PSE-SANTE/SESANE/LRSI, 31 Av. de la Division Leclerc, Fontenay-aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Alkiviadis Gourgiotis
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE/LELI, LETIS, USDR, PSE-SANTE/SESANE/LRSI, 31 Av. de la Division Leclerc, Fontenay-aux-Roses 92260, France.
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Release behavior uranium and thorium in soil from a decommissioned uranium tailings in Jiangxi Province, China. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-021-08030-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Lyu P, Wang G, Cao Y, Wang B, Deng N. Phosphorus-modified biochar cross-linked Mg-Al layered double-hydroxide composite for immobilizing uranium in mining contaminated soil. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 276:130116. [PMID: 33690044 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The decommissioning of uranium mill tailings (UMTs) is usually accompanied by uranium (U) contamination in soil, which poses a serious threat to human health and ecological safety. In this study, a novel phosphorus-modified bamboo biochar (PBC) cross-linked Mg-Al layered double-hydroxide (LDH) composite ("PBC@LDH") was successfully prepared by phosphate pre-impregnation and a hydrothermal method with Mg-Al LDH. Physicochemical analysis revealed that phosphorus-containing functional groups and Mg-Al LDH were grafted onto the pristine biochar (BC) matrix. Laboratory-scale incubation and column leaching experiments were performed on the prepared BC, PBC, and PBC@LDH. The results showed that, at a dosage of 10%, the PBC@LDH composite had a commendable ability to immobilize U in soil. After 40 days of incubation with the stabilizer, the more mobile U was converted into immobilized species. Furthermore, during a column leaching experiment with simulated acid rain, the cumulative loss and leaching efficiency of U were remarkably reduced by PBC@LDH treatment compared with the control, reaching 53% and 54%, respectively. Surface complexation, co-precipitation, and reduction described the adsorption and immobilization mechanisms. In conclusion, this research demonstrates that the PBC@LDH composite offers a potentially effective amendment for the remediation of U contaminated soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Lyu
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, China.
| | - Guanghui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, China; School of Water Resources & Environmental Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, China.
| | - Yelin Cao
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710127, China
| | - Bing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, China
| | - Nansheng Deng
- School of Resources and Environmental Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430079, China
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Rzhevskaia AV, Romanchuk AY, Vlasova IE, Semenkova AS, Trigub AL, Svetogorov RD, Yapaskurt VO, Paretskov EN, Kalmykov SN. Partitioning of uranium in contaminated bottom sediments: The meaning of fractionation. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2021; 229-230:106539. [PMID: 33493873 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Sequential extraction tests were used to study partitioning of U in the bottom sediments of two reservoirs that have been used for the temporary storage of nuclear waste at the "Mining and Chemical Combine" (Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk region, Russia). Various sequential extraction protocols were applied to the bottom sediment samples and the results compared with those obtained for laboratory-prepared simulated samples with different speciation and partitioning, e.g., U(VI) sorbed onto various inorganic minerals and organic matter, as well as uranium oxides. The distributions of uranium in fractions extracted from simulated and actual contaminated samples were compared to shed light on the speciation of U in the bottom sediments. X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy were also used to analyze the partitioning of U in contaminated sediments. We also compared the results obtained using the spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, as well as sequential extraction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna Yu Romanchuk
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
| | - Irina E Vlasova
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Anna S Semenkova
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | | | | | | | - Evgeny N Paretskov
- FSUE "Mining and Chemical Combine", Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Region, Russia
| | - Stepan N Kalmykov
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia; National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Moscow, Russia
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Le THH, Michel H, Champion J. 210Po sequential extraction applied to wetland soils at uranium mining sites. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2019; 199-200:1-6. [PMID: 30639726 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Revised: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Former uranium mining activities have led to the presence of naturally occurring nuclides embedded in soil. Such activities have also modified the secular equilibrium between radionuclides in 238U decay series. The objective of this paper is to quantify the long-term effect of former uranium mining activities on the behavior of the final radionuclide in the 238U-series, i.e. polonium-210 (210Po), present in soils. Soil samples are extracted from two uranium sites in France, specifically a quarried site and a natural site. The polonium distribution is studied within the various soil fractions, namely: water soluble, exchangeable, bound to carbonates, bound to iron/manganese oxides, bound to organic matter, and residual. 210Po is mainly found in the residual fraction of both study sites (87-90%), followed by the carbonates fraction (5-9%). The 210Po activity in the other fractions is very small in comparison with total activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thi-Hong-Hanh Le
- Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN), Université Nice Sophia-Antipolis, 28 Avenue Valrose, 06108, Nice Cedex 2, France
| | - Hervé Michel
- Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN), Université Nice Sophia-Antipolis, 28 Avenue Valrose, 06108, Nice Cedex 2, France.
| | - Julie Champion
- Laboratoire Subatech, UMR CNRS 6457, IN2P3/IMT Atlantique/Université de Nantes, 4 rue Alfred Kastler, BP 20722, 44307, Nantes Cedex 3, France.
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Liu B, Peng T, Sun H, Yue H. Release behavior of uranium in uranium mill tailings under environmental conditions. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2017; 171:160-168. [PMID: 28254525 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2017.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Revised: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Uranium contamination is observed in sedimentary geochemical environments, but the geochemical and mineralogical processes that control uranium release from sediment are not fully appreciated. Identification of how sediments and water influence the release and migration of uranium is critical to improve the prevention of uranium contamination in soil and groundwater. To understand the process of uranium release and migration from uranium mill tailings under water chemistry conditions, uranium mill tailing samples from northwest China were investigated with batch leaching experiments. Results showed that water played an important role in uranium release from the tailing minerals. The uranium release was clearly influenced by contact time, liquid-solid ratio, particle size, and pH under water chemistry conditions. Longer contact time, higher liquid content, and extreme pH were all not conducive to the stabilization of uranium and accelerated the uranium release from the tailing mineral to the solution. The values of pH were found to significantly influence the extent and mechanisms of uranium release from minerals to water. Uranium release was monitored by a number of interactive processes, including dissolution of uranium-bearing minerals, uranium desorption from mineral surfaces, and formation of aqueous uranium complexes. Considering the impact of contact time, liquid-solid ratio, particle size, and pH on uranium release from uranium mill tailings, reducing the water content, decreasing the porosity of tailing dumps and controlling the pH of tailings were the key factors for prevention and management of environmental pollution in areas near uranium mines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Liu
- School of Environment and Resource, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, Sichuan, PR China; Institute of Mineral Materials and Application, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, Sichuan, PR China; Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recycle, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Mianyang 621010, Sichuan, PR China
| | - Tongjiang Peng
- Institute of Mineral Materials and Application, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, Sichuan, PR China; Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recycle, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Mianyang 621010, Sichuan, PR China.
| | - Hongjuan Sun
- Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recycle, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Mianyang 621010, Sichuan, PR China
| | - Huanjuan Yue
- Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recycle, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Mianyang 621010, Sichuan, PR China
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Ma Q, Feng ZG, Liu P, Lin XK, Li ZG, Chen MS. Uranium speciation and in situ leaching of a sandstone-type deposit from China. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-016-5154-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Cuvier A, Pourcelot L, Probst A, Prunier J, Le Roux G. Trace elements and Pb isotopes in soils and sediments impacted by uranium mining. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 566-567:238-249. [PMID: 27220101 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Revised: 03/28/2016] [Accepted: 04/28/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the contamination in As, Ba, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Sr, V, Zn and REE, in a high uranium activity (up to 21,000Bq∙kg(-1)) area, downstream of a former uranium mine. Different geochemical proxies like enrichment factor and fractions from a sequential extraction procedure are used to evaluate the level of contamination, the mobility and the availability of the potential contaminants. Pb isotope ratios are determined in the total samples and in the sequential leachates to identify the sources of the contaminants and to determine the mobility of radiogenic Pb in the context of uranium mining. In spite of the large uranium contamination measured in the soils and the sediments (EF≫40), trace element contamination is low to moderate (2<EF<5), except for Ba (5<EF<15), due to the precipitation of barium sulfate resulting from mining activities. Most of the trace elements are associated with the most mobile fractions of the sediments/soils, implying an enhanced potential availability. Even if no Pb enrichment is highlighted, the Pb isotopic signature of the contaminated soils is strongly radiogenic. Measurements performed on the sequential leachates reveal inputs of radiogenic Pb in the most mobile fractions of the contaminated soil. Inputs of low-mobile radiogenic Pb from mining activities may also contribute to the Pb signature recorded in the residual phase of the contaminated samples. We demonstrate that Pb isotopes are efficient tools to trace the origin and the mobility of the contaminants in environments affected by uranium mining.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Cuvier
- ECOLAB, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France; IRSN/PRP-ENV/SESURE/Laboratoire d'études radioécologiques en milieu continental et marin, BP 1, 13108 Saint Paul Lez Durance Cedex, France.
| | - L Pourcelot
- IRSN/PRP-ENV/SESURE/Laboratoire d'études radioécologiques en milieu continental et marin, BP 1, 13108 Saint Paul Lez Durance Cedex, France
| | - A Probst
- ECOLAB, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - J Prunier
- Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, laboratoire Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, CNRS/IRD/Université Paul Sabatier, 14 avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - G Le Roux
- ECOLAB, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France.
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Wang J, Liu J, Chen Y, Song G, Chen D, Xiao T, Wu S, Chen F, Yin M. Technologically elevated natural radioactivity and assessment of dose to workers around a granitic uranium deposit area, China. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-016-4809-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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10
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Cuvier A, Panza F, Pourcelot L, Foissard B, Cagnat X, Prunier J, van Beek P, Souhaut M, Le Roux G. Uranium decay daughters from isolated mines: Accumulation and sources. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2015; 149:110-120. [PMID: 26232768 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2015] [Revised: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 07/11/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
This study combines in situ gamma spectrometry performed at different scales, in order to accurately locate the contamination pools, to identify the concerned radionuclides and to determine the distribution of the contaminants from soil to bearing phase scale. The potential mobility of several radionuclides is also evaluated using sequential extraction. Using this procedure, an accumulation area located downstream of a former French uranium mine and concentrating a significant fraction of radioactivity is highlighted. We report disequilibria in the U-decay chains, which are likely related to the processes implemented on the mining area. Coupling of mineralogical analyzes with sequential extraction allow us to highlight the presence of barium sulfate, which may be the carrier of the Ra-226 activities found in the residual phase (Ba(Ra)SO4). In contrast, uranium is essentially in the reducible fraction and potentially trapped in clay-iron coatings located on the surface of minerals.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Cuvier
- Université de Toulouse, INP, UPS, EcoLab (Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement), ENSAT, Avenue de l'Agrobiopole, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France; IRSN/PRP-ENV/SESURE/Laboratoire d'Études Radioécologiques en milieu Continental et Marin, BP 1 13108 Saint Paul Lez Durance Cedex, France; CNRS, EcoLab, UMR 5245, 31326 Castanet Tolosan, France.
| | - F Panza
- IRSN/Pôle Radioprotection, Environnement, Déchets et Crises, Service d'Intervention et d'Assistance en Radioprotection (SIAR), 92262 Fontenay aux Roses Cedex, France
| | - L Pourcelot
- IRSN/PRP-ENV/SESURE/Laboratoire d'Études Radioécologiques en milieu Continental et Marin, BP 1 13108 Saint Paul Lez Durance Cedex, France
| | - B Foissard
- IRSN/Pôle Radioprotection, Environnement, Déchets et Crises, Service d'Intervention et d'Assistance en Radioprotection (SIAR), 92262 Fontenay aux Roses Cedex, France
| | - X Cagnat
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Bat 501 Bois des Rames, 91400 Orsay, France
| | - J Prunier
- Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, Laboratoire Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, CNRS/IRD/Université Paul Sabatier, 14 avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - P van Beek
- Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, Laboratoire d'Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales UMR 5566, CNRS/CNES/IRD/Université Paul Sabatier, 14 av. Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - M Souhaut
- Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, Laboratoire d'Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales UMR 5566, CNRS/CNES/IRD/Université Paul Sabatier, 14 av. Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - G Le Roux
- Université de Toulouse, INP, UPS, EcoLab (Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement), ENSAT, Avenue de l'Agrobiopole, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France; CNRS, EcoLab, UMR 5245, 31326 Castanet Tolosan, France.
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