Factors affecting the sorption of cesium in a nutrient-poor boreal bog

Radiocaesium retention in bog meadows: an analysis based on soil properties

The vertical distribution of ¹³⁷Cs in peat bog soils in the remote period after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident (ChNPP, 1986) was investigated. The study was conducted on bog meadows in the Bryansk region of Russia. Soil samples were taken at 4 locations: 2 sites on lowland bogs and 2 sites on transitional bogs. Fifteen years after the accident, analysis of soils showed that the peak of ¹³⁷Cs activity was still in the upper 10-cm layer. The highest percentage of the initial ¹³⁷Cs deposition (92%) has been observed in the top 10-cm layer in the drained transitional bog. The lowest part of the initial ¹³⁷Cs deposition (40%) has been found in 0-10-cm horizon in lowland bog with the deep peat layer. The findings revealed that elevated soil moisture promotes ¹³⁷Cs downward migration. It was shown that ammonium has a major impact on mobility of ¹³⁷Cs in bog soils. On average, the soil solution NH₄⁺ concentrations exceeded the K⁺ concentrations by about a factor 5. A significant linear relationship was found between the rates of ¹³⁷Cs removal from the top layers with the soil solution NH₄⁺ concentrations.

Microbial Community Composition Correlates with Metal Sorption in an Ombrotrophic Boreal Bog: Implications for Radionuclide Retention

Microbial communities throughout the 6.5 m depth profile of a boreal ombrotrophic bog were characterized using amplicon sequencing of archaeal, fungal, and bacterial marker genes. Microbial populations and their relationship to oxic and anoxic batch sorption of radionuclides (using radioactive tracers of I, Se, Cs, Ni, and Ag) and the prevailing metal concentrations in the natural bog was investigated. The majority of the detected archaea belonged to the Crenarchaeota, Halobacterota, and Thermoplasmatota, whereas the fungal communities consisted of Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and unclassified fungi. The bacterial communities consisted mostly of Acidobacteriota, Proteobacteria, and Chloroflexi. The occurrence of several microbial genera were found to statistically significantly correlate with metal concentrations as well as with Se, Cs, I, and Ag batch sorption data. We suggest that the metal concentrations of peat, gyttja, and clay layers affect the composition of the microbial populations in these nutrient-low conditions and that particularly parts of the bacterial and archaeal communities tolerate high concentrations of potentially toxic metals and may concurrently contribute to the total retention of metals and radionuclides in this ombrotrophic environment. In addition, the varying metal concentrations together with chemical, mineralogical, and physical factors may contribute to the shape of the total archaeal and bacterial populations and most probably shifts the populations for more metal resistant genera.

Hydrothermal-treatment desorption of cesium from clay minerals: The roles of organic acids and implications for soil decontamination

The adsorption and desorption of cesium (Cs) on clays of contaminated soil in a rhizosphere zone can be greatly affected by various biogeochemical processes, the timespans of which are usually months to years. Herein, we present several representative scenarios of the binding of Cs on diverse sites of vermiculitized biotite by controlled Cs adsorption to particles of different sizes. We investigated whether and how the fixed Cs in the different scenarios is desorbed by ambient and hydrothermal treatments with several low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs). The results showed that the sorbed Cs was discriminatively retained in the un-collapsed, partially collapsed, and thoroughly collapsed structures of vermiculites. The desorption of the sorbed Cs by hydrothermal LMWOAs extractions was easily realized in the un-collapsed structure, but was limited or minimal in the partially collapsed and thoroughly collapsed structures. The Cs desorption varied in accord with the LMWOA species applied and increased with the acid concentration, temperature, and number of treating cycles. The analysis of Cs-desorbed specimens confirmed their partial destruction and interlayer expansion, suggesting that the underlying mechanism of Cs removal by LMWOAs involves not only acid dissolution and complexation but also the accelerated weathering of clays within a short time under hydrothermal conditions. Our findings contribute novel insights into the mobility, bioavailability, and fate of Cs in contaminated soils and its removal from these soils for environmental restorations.

Ni(II) Interactions in Boreal Paenibacillus sp., Methylobacterium sp., Paraburkholderia sp., and Pseudomonas sp. Strains Isolated From an Acidic, Ombrotrophic Bog

The uptake of nickel [Ni(II)] by Paenibacillus sp., Methylobacterium sp., Paraburkholderia sp., and Pseudomonas sp. strains isolated from a boreal bog was studied using batch experiments. All strains removed Ni(II) from the solution and the uptake efficiency was affected by the nutrient source, incubation temperature, time, and pH. As highest Ni uptake (with a maximum Kd of 1890 L/kg DW) was recorded for the Pseudomonas sp. strains, these bacteria were used in the following protein expression (SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOFF), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and EDS experiments. In addition, Freundlich and Langmuir sorption isotherms were determined. In the Ni(II) treated cells, dense crystalline intra-cellular accumulations were observed in TEM examinations, which were identified as Ni accumulations using EDS. SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOFF spectra of Ni(II) treated cells showed several changes in the protein profiles, which can indicate active accumulation of Ni in these bacteria. Concurrently, we observed Ni(II) uptake to follow Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms, suggesting straight cellular biosorption in addition to the intra-cellular accumulation. The role of cellular (cell membrane and cell wall) functional groups involved in Ni(II) binding were therefore studied using Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy. These analyses supported the potential role of the alcoholic hydroxyl, carboxyl and amine groups in Ni(II) binding in these bacteria, therefore suggesting two different Ni(II) uptake mechanisms; (i) intra-cellular accumulation [possibly connected to detoxification of Ni(II)], and (ii) straight biosorption on cell membrane/wall functional groups.