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Ali S, Baloch SB, Bernas J, Konvalina P, Onyebuchi EF, Naveed M, Ali H, Jamali ZH, Nezhad MTK, Mustafa A. Phytotoxicity of radionuclides: A review of sources, impacts and remediation strategies. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 240:117479. [PMID: 37884073 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117479] [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: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Various anthropogenic activities and natural sources contribute to the presence of radioactive materials in the environment, posing a serious threat to phytotoxicity. Contamination of soil and water by radioactive isotopes degrades the environmental quality and biodiversity. They persist in soils for a considerable amount of time and disturb the fauna and flora of any affected area. Hence, their removal from the contaminated medium is inevitable to prevent their entry into the food chain and the organisms at higher levels of the food chain. Physicochemical methods for radioactive element remediation are effective; however, they are not eco-friendly, can be expensive and impractical for large-scale remediation. Contrastingly, different bioremediation approaches, such as phytoremediation using appropriate plant species for removing the radionuclides from the polluted sites, and microbe-based remediation, represent promising alternatives for cleanup. In this review, sources of radionuclides in soil as well as their hazardous impacts on plants are discussed. Moreover, various conventional physicochemical approaches used for remediation discussed in detail. Similarly, the effectiveness and superiority of various bioremediation approaches, such as phytoremediation and microbe-based remediation, over traditional approaches have been explained in detail. In the end, future perspectives related to enhancing the efficiency of the phytoremediation process have been elaborated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahzaib Ali
- Department of Agroecosystems, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 37005, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Sadia Babar Baloch
- Department of Agroecosystems, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 37005, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jaroslav Bernas
- Department of Agroecosystems, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 37005, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Petr Konvalina
- Department of Agroecosystems, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 37005, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Eze Festus Onyebuchi
- Department of Agroecosystems, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 37005, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Muhammad Naveed
- Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38040, Pakistan
| | - Hassan Ali
- Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38040, Pakistan
| | - Zameer Hussain Jamali
- College of Environmental Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, 611130, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Mohammad Tahsin Karimi Nezhad
- Department of Forest Ecology, The Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental 13 Gardening, Lidicka, 25/27, Brno, 60200, Czech Republic
| | - Adnan Mustafa
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou, 510650, China.
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Zhang H, Hou X, Qiao J, Lin J. Determination of 241Am in Environmental Samples: A Review. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27144536. [PMID: 35889408 PMCID: PMC9315525 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27144536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The determination of 241Am in the environment is of importance in monitoring its release and assessing its environmental impact and radiological risk. This paper aims to give an overview about the recent developments and the state-of-art analytical methods for 241Am determination in environmental samples. Thorough discussions are given in this paper covering a wide range of aspects, including sample pre-treatment and pre-concentration methods, chemical separation techniques, source preparation, radiometric and mass spectrometric measurement techniques, speciation analyses, and tracer applications. The paper focuses on some hyphenated separation methods based on different chromatographic resins, which have been developed to achieve high analytical efficiency and sample throughput for the determination of 241Am. The performances of different radiometric and mass spectrometric measurement techniques for 241Am are evaluated and compared. Tracer applications of 241Am in the environment, including speciation analyses of 241Am, and applications in nuclear forensics are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haitao Zhang
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi’an 710024, China; (H.Z.); (J.L.)
| | - Xiaolin Hou
- Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, DTU Risø Campus, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark;
| | - Jixin Qiao
- Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, DTU Risø Campus, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark;
- Correspondence:
| | - Jianfeng Lin
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi’an 710024, China; (H.Z.); (J.L.)
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Wu J, Zheng X, Chen J, Yang G, Zheng J, Aono T. Distributions and impacts of plutonium in the environment originating from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident: An overview of a decade of studies. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2022; 248:106884. [PMID: 35398758 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.106884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This paper reviews the current knowledge on plutonium (Pu) isotopic composition (the atom or activity ratios) and activity concentrations of 238Pu, 239Pu, 240Pu, and 241Pu resulting from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident in 2011. In this critical review, we document the characteristic values of Pu atom or activity ratios (fingerprints) and present their spatial distributions around the FDNPP site. Based on multiple Pu fingerprints (238Pu/239+240Pu activity ratio, 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio, and 241Pu/239Pu atom ratio), we clarify that Pu contamination from the FDNPP accident occurred in a restricted terrestrial area, while Pu in the Northwest Pacific Ocean is still predominately sourced from the Pacific Proving Grounds (PPG) and global fallout. Using a simple two end-member mixing model, we calculate average contributions of Pu from the FDNPP accident of 13 ± 20% (n = 180) in soil samples, 55 ± 32% (n = 38) in leaf litter samples, and 67 ± 26% (n = 129) in air dust/black substances. In the marine environment, the PPG source average contributions are 45 ± 15% (n = 76) in seawater and 42 ± 12% (n = 48) in sediments. The spatial distributions of Pu atom or activity ratios based on existing studies suggest that: 1) in the terrestrial region investigated 80 km northwest of the FDNPP site, the Pu contamination is mainly observed in an area within a 50 km distance, and 2) in the terrestrial region investigated 60 km southwest of the FDNPP site, the Pu contamination is mainly observed in an area within a 30 km distance. Studies of Cs-bearing radioactive particles indicate that Pu occurs as Pu oxide, and the fuel fragments containing Pu that were released from the reactors to the surrounding environment are associated with micron-scale Cs-bearing radioactive particles. We note that the fractionation between Pu and other radionuclides occurred after release. These new findings about the Pu fingerprints around the FDNPP site will help researchers to establish a reference background database for future environmental risk assessment and geochemical study there.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwen Wu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster Prediction and Prevention & Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, 511458, China
| | - Xuemin Zheng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster Prediction and Prevention & Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China
| | - Jisheng Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster Prediction and Prevention & Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China
| | - Guosheng Yang
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Jian Zheng
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan.
| | - Tatsuo Aono
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
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Mostafa MYA, Kadhim NF, Ammer H, Baqir Y. The plant transfer factor of natural radionuclides and the soil radiation hazard of some crops. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2021; 193:320. [PMID: 33942177 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09061-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In the present study, the transfer factors of the natural radionuclides 238U, 232Th, and 40K were estimated for several crops cultivated in farms in the suburbs of Baghdad and one farm in Al-Najaf. The transfer factor (TF) is the ratio of activity transfers from soil to plant. The specific activities of the natural radionuclides were measured with a gamma-ray spectrometer with a HPGe detector. The crops include cereals (rice and wheat), fruits (lemons and oranges), podded vegetables (vigna and okra), fruity vegetables (chili peppers and Solanum melongena), and leafy vegetables (Apium graveolens, Raphanus sativus, and Ocimum basilicum). The results showed that the highest transfer factors for 238U, 232Th, and 40K are 0.32, 0.70, and 3.44, respectively, in wheat. The average transfer factors for 238U and 232Th were founded 0.23 and 0.2 which are lower than the default unitiy value but the 1.85 were reported for 40K higher than unity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa Y A Mostafa
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Minia University, El-Minia, Egypt.
- Ural Federal University, 620002, Yekaterinburg, Russia.
| | - Nada Farhan Kadhim
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Al-Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Hassan Ammer
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Al-Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Yassir Baqir
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Al-Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq
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Ni Y, Wang Z, Zheng J, Tagami K, Guo Q, Uchida S, Tsukada H. The transfer of fallout plutonium from paddy soil to rice: A field study in Japan. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2019; 196:22-28. [PMID: 30368198 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.10.010] [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: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Reported transfer factor (TF) values of Pu from paddy soil to rice are rather scarce, despite the radiotoxicity of Pu and the irreplaceable role of rice in Asian peoples' diets. Here, we conducted a field study to investigate the transfer of global fallout Pu from paddy soil to rice grain (hulled rice) in Japan. The 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios in two rice grain samples out of 16 samples were determined and the ratios corresponded well with the global fallout value. The soil-to-rice TFPu in 12 Japanese prefectures ranged from 4.5 × 10-6 to 1.2 × 10-4 with a geometric mean of 3.3 × 10-5. The TFs of rice obtained in this study were compatible to the TFs for the broad heading "cereals" compiled in the IAEA Technical Report Series No. 472. Weak correlations were found between the TF and the investigated soil characteristics such as soil pH and loss on ignition. Regarding the TFs for cerium (Ce) and thorium (Th) which are commonly considered as Pu analogues, we observed no significant correlations between the log(TFPu) and log(TFCe) or log(TFPu) and log(TFTh). On the other hand, interestingly, a significantly positive correlation (r = 0.795, p < 0.001) was observed between log(TFPu) and log(TFU). In view of the observed similarity of TF values for U and Pu from soil to rice, we thought that using the easy-to-measure TFU to estimate TFPu from soil to rice might be suggested although the mechanism was unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youyi Ni
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan; State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Zhongtang Wang
- Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621900, China
| | - Jian Zheng
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan.
| | - Keiko Tagami
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Qiuju Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Shigeo Uchida
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Tsukada
- Institute of Environmental Radioecology, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan
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