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Tang L, Zhao X, Zhang M, Huang Z, Hou X. Quantitative estimation of dust transport in the desert region of northwest China by plutonium isotopes. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2024; 275:107427. [PMID: 38581980 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2024.107427] [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: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Dust is an important source of atmospheric pollution, and quantitative estimation of desert dust transport is crucial for air pollution control. In this study, five typical sandy soil profiles in the Tengger Desert were collected and analyzed for 239,240Pu concentration and 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios in order to identify the source of 239,240Pu in this area and explore the sedimentary characteristics of dust in different profiles. The results revealed that the concentrations of 239,240Pu in the soil profiles were between 0.002 and 0.443 mBq/g with an exception of the deep layer soil at one site. The measured atomic ratios of 240Pu/239Pu are at the global atmospheric fallout level with a mean of 0.184 ± 0.020, indicating that global fallout is the dominant source of plutonium in this region. The total inventories of 239,240Pu in the reference sites in this area were estimated to be 39.2-44.6 Bq/m2, this is in agreement with the value from the global fallout of atmospheric nuclear weapon tests at the similar latitude (30-40 °N: 42 Bq/m2). The estimated erosion rate in the erosion profile utilizing soil erosion intensity mode is 2491 t/km2/yr and the soil erosion depth is 9.86 cm, While, the stacking rate of the accumulation profile is 1383 t/km2/yr, and the depth of accumulation is estimated to be 5.48 cm. The difference between the erosion and accumulation profiles indicated that approximately 1107 t/km2/yr of dust was exported from the Gobi landform area of the Tengger Desert, which might be transported long distance in the downwind direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Tang
- Xi'an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Xue Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an, 710061, China; Xi'an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Mengting Zhang
- Xi'an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Zhao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Xiaolin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an, 710061, China.
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2
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Dowell SM, Barlow TS, Chenery SR, Humphrey OS, Isaboke J, Blake WH, Osano O, Watts MJ. Optimisation of plutonium separations using TEVA cartridges and ICP-MS/MS analysis for applicability to large-scale studies in tropical soils. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2023; 15:4226-4235. [PMID: 37584161 DOI: 10.1039/d3ay01030a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
The analysis of plutonium (Pu) in soil samples can inform the understanding of soil erosion processes globally. However, there are specific challenges associated for analysis in tropical soils and so an optimal analytical methodology ensuring best sensitivity is critical. This method aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of sample preparation and analysis of Pu isotopes in African soils, considering the environmental and cost implications applicable to low-resource laboratories. The separation procedure builds upon previous work using TEVA columns, further demonstrating their usefulness for the reduction of uranium (U) interference in ICP-MS analysis with enhanced selectivity for Pu. Here several steps were optimised to enhance Pu recovery, reducing method blank concentration, and improving the separation efficiency through the determination of the elution profiles of U and Pu. The elimination of the complexing agent in the eluent, increased the spike recovery by improving matrix tolerance of the plasma, and simplified the separation procedure, improving throughput by 20%. The subsequent method was validated through the analysis of Certified Reference Material IAEA-384, where high accuracy and improved precision of measurement were demonstrated (measured value 114 ± 12 versus certified value 108 ± 13 Bq kg-1). Optimisation of the column separation, along with the analysis of the samples using O2 gas in ICP-MS/MS mode to mass shift Pu isotopes away from interfering molecular U ions provided a simple, robust, and cost-effective method with low achievable method detection limits of 0.18 pg kg-1 239+240Pu, applicable to the detection of ultra-trace fallout Pu in African soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia M Dowell
- Inorganic Geochemistry, Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK.
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Thomas S Barlow
- Inorganic Geochemistry, Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK.
| | - Simon R Chenery
- Inorganic Geochemistry, Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK.
| | - Olivier S Humphrey
- Inorganic Geochemistry, Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK.
| | - Job Isaboke
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Eldoret, Eldoret, Kenya
| | - William H Blake
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Odipo Osano
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Eldoret, Eldoret, Kenya
| | - Michael J Watts
- Inorganic Geochemistry, Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK.
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3
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Zhang M, Zhao Z, Wang Y, Chen Y, Hou X. Vertical distribution of plutonium isotopes from the floodplain and lacustrine sediments in Poyang Lake, China. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2023; 261:107143. [PMID: 36878053 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2023.107143] [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: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic radionuclides deposited in sediments have been used for environmental radiation risk valuation as well as source identification. In this study, we investigated the vertical distribution of plutonium (Pu) isotopes and 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios in both floodplain and lacustrine sediments in Poyang Lake. The 239+240Pu activity concentrations in floodplain sediment cores were found to range from 0.002 to 0.085 Bq kg-1, with a maximum value at the subsurface layer. The activity in lacustrine sediment cores was from 0.062 to 0.351 Bq kg-1 with a mean of 0.138 ± 0.053 Bq kg-1. The inventory of 43.15 Bq m-2 in lacustrine sediment core is comparable to the average value of global fallout expected at the same latitude. The average 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios (0.183 ± 0.032) for sediment cores indicated that the global fallout is the major source of Pu in the studied region. The results are of great significance to the further understanding of sources, records, and environmental impacts of regional nuclear activities in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingli Zhang
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Nanjing, 210023, China; Key Laboratory of Material Circulation and Pollution Control in Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Zihan Zhao
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yanhua Wang
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Nanjing, 210023, China; Key Laboratory of Material Circulation and Pollution Control in Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yan Chen
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Xiaolin Hou
- Center for Nuclear Technologies, Technical University of Denmark, Risø Campus, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark.
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4
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Khodadadi M, Alewell C, Mirzaei M, Ehssan-Malahat E, Asadzadeh F, Strauss P, Meusburger K. Understanding deforestation impacts on soil erosion rates using 137Cs, 239+240Pu, and 210Pb ex and soil physicochemical properties in western Iran. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2023; 257:107078. [PMID: 36423536 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.107078] [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: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
To investigate the effects of converting forests into vineyards typical to Zarivar Lake watershed, Iran, which occurred mainly in the 1970s and 80s, on soil erosion,137Cs and 210Pbex, being mid-and-long-term soil loss tracers, were applied. In Chernobyl-contaminated areas like those found in some parts of Europe and Asia, the proportion of 137Cs Chernobyl fallout needs to be determined to convert 137Cs inventories into soil erosion rates. To do so, Pu radioisotopes were applied for the first time in Iran. The soil samples were gathered from two adjacent, almost similar hillslopes under natural forest (slope length: 250 m; slope gradient: 20%) and rainfed vineyard (slope length: 200 m; slope gradient: 17%). 137Cs/239+240Pu ratios indicated that 49.8 ± 10.0% of 137Cs originated from Chernobyl. The net soil erosion rates derived by 137Cs, and 210Pbex approaches were 5.0 ± 1.1 and 5.9 ± 2.9 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in the forested hillslope, and 25.9 ± 5.7 and 32.5 ± 14.5 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in the vineyard hillslope, respectively. Both 137Cs and 210Pbex highlighted that deforestation increased soil erosion by around five times. Moreover, the impacts of deforestation on soil physicochemical properties were investigated in surface and subsurface soils. Compared to forested hillslope, soil organic carbon stock in the upper 40 cm of the vineyard reduced by 14 Mg C ha-1 (29%), 8 Mg C ha-1 of which was removed by erosion within 35 years, and the remaining have likely been lost via emissions (6 Mg C ha-1). The vineyard topsoil experienced the most dramatic drops in percolation stability (PS), sealing index, and organic matter by about 55, 51, and 49%, respectively. Among all measured physicochemical properties, PS showed the greatest sensitivity to land-use change. Overall, the present study's findings confirmed that deforestation for agricultural purposes triggered soil loss, deteriorated soil quality and possibly contributed to the reduction of the lake's water quality and climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maral Khodadadi
- Nuclear Agriculture Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), 31485/1498, Iran; Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States.
| | - Christine Alewell
- Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 30, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mohammad Mirzaei
- Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), Karaj, 31485/1498, Iran
| | | | - Farrokh Asadzadeh
- Department of Soil Science, Urmia University, Urmia, 5756151818, Iran
| | - Peter Strauss
- Institute for Land and Water Management Research, Federal Agency for Water Management, Pollnbergstrasse 1, A-3252, Petzenkirchen, Austria
| | - Katrin Meusburger
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research (WSL), 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
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5
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Zhang W, Hou X, Dang H, Chen N, Zhang H. Distribution and migration of 239,240Pu in soil profiles in North China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 857:159471. [PMID: 36265634 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159471] [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: 07/24/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The source, vertical distribution and migration behavior of plutonium in five soil profiles (from forest, grassland and desert areas) in northern China were investigated. The average 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratio of 0.184 ± 0.022 observed in these samples is in good agreement with the reported value of global fallout, suggesting that the global fallout is the major source of plutonium in northern China. The 239,240Pu inventories in five soil profiles ranges from 43.3 Bq/m2 to 175 Bq/m2, lying in the reported range for global fallout in the similar latitude band. The effective convection velocity (0.04-0.16 cm/y) and effective dispersion coefficient (0.13-0.41cm2/y) of plutonium in different soil profiles derived using the CDE model varies significantly, attributed to multi-factors including location, topography, climate and soil types. The results showed that the migration of plutonium in grassland soil is significantly slow compared to other type of soil, especially desert soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weichao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China; Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi'an 710024, China
| | - Xiaolin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China; Technical University of Denmark, Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Risø Campus, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Haijun Dang
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi'an 710024, China
| | - Ning Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Haitao Zhang
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi'an 710024, China
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6
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Feng D, Ji M, Liao H, Yang F, Zhou X, Pan T, Lu C, Luo J, Miao Y. An overview of plutonium isotopes in soils, China: Distribution, spatial patterns, and sources. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 216:114677. [PMID: 36374654 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114677] [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: 06/19/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Plutonium (Pu) is an anthropogenic radionuclide which has drawn significant attentions due to its radiotoxicity, and the sources of plutonium linked with nuclear accidents and contaminations. The 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio is source dependent and can be used as a fingerprint to determine the sources of radioactive contaminant. However, the distribution and sources of plutonium in soils of China have not yet been systematically studied at a national scale up to date. The distribution, spatial patterns, and sources of plutonium in soils of China were discussed in this work. The concentrations of 239,240Pu are in the range of 0.002-4.824 mBq/g with a large variation, and the 239,240Pu concentrations in surface soils increase with the increasing latitude, which affects by multi-factors such as organic matter and particle size, etc. The inventories of 239,240Pu are in the range of 7.31-554 Bq/m2. The weighted average of 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios (0.180 ± 0.004) in all surface samples is good agreement with the ratio of global fallout (0.180 ± 0.014) of the nuclear weapons tests, this indicate that the major source of plutonium in China is global fallout. However, among some sites, distinctly lower 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio compared to the global fallout values were observed in the northwest China, indicating a significant contribution from other source besides the global fallout. Furthermore, the spatial clustering patterns of hot spots (high values) and cold spots (low values) for plutonium showing the clear associations with nuclear tests, especially the Chinese Lop Nor nuclear weapons tests (CNTs) and the Semipalatinsk nuclear weapons tests (STS). Radioactive material including plutonium from the STS or CNTs was transported by the prevailing westerlies to the northwest China. This review about the fingerprints and distribution of plutonium in soils of China will help researchers to establish a reference database for future radiation risk assessment and environmental radioactive management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongxia Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Meichen Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Haiqing Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.
| | - Fang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Xingxuan Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Ting Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Chaojun Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Jingtian Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Yunge Miao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
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7
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Effect of land use and vegetation coverage on level and distribution of plutonium isotopes in the northern Loess Plateau, China. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-022-08675-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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8
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Wang H, Ni Y, Men W, Wang Z, Liu M, Xiao D, Zheng J. Distributions of fallout 137Cs, 239+240Pu and 241Am in a soil core from South Central China. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2022; 251-252:106971. [PMID: 35961100 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.106971] [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: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The source and vertical distribution of 137Cs,239+240Pu and 241Am activity concentrations in a soil core from Hunan Province, China were investigated. The maximum 137Cs and 239+240Pu activity concentrations were 15.45 ± 0.76 mBq/g and 0.819 ± 0.066 mBq/g, respectively. While the maximum 241Am activity concentration in samples obtained from the core was 0.341 ± 0.019 mBq/g. The 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio and the 137Cs/239+240Pu activity ratio were 0.183 ± 0.011 and 19.5 ± 1.8, respectively, and both were consistent with the characteristic value of global fallout. The integrated 241Am/239+240Pu activity ratio for global fallout was also re-estimated. The measured 241Am/239+240Pu activity ratio (average 0.43 ± 0.07) in the samples was very close to the estimated value (0.45), which suggested their 241Am also came from the global fallout. Regarding the vertical distribution of 137Cs, 239+240Pu and 241Am in these red soil samples, all these radionuclides had higher concentrations in upper layers of several centimeters of soil while they had slightly lower concentrations in lower soil layers down to 30 cm. Vertical distributions of 137Cs/239+240Pu and 241Am/239+240Pu activity ratios indicated the migration velocity was Am ≈ Pu > Cs. The intrinsic chemical properties of the radionuclides as well as soil type and properties (acidic, nutrient-deficient and low in organic matter and cation exchange capacity) might be reasons for the differences in their migration behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai Wang
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China; National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, 491 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan.
| | - Youyi Ni
- Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - Wu Men
- School of Marine Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Ningliu Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210044, China
| | - Zhongtang Wang
- Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - Min Liu
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Detao Xiao
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Jian Zheng
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, 491 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan.
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Zhao X, Hou X, Huang Z, Liu H, Jiang H. Plutonium isotopes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Sources, distribution, and their environmental behaviors. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 306:119401. [PMID: 35525518 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119401] [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: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Due to the high radiotoxicity in high concentrations, plutonium isotopes have drawn high attentions in the consideration of radiation risk, their sources, level, environmental behaviors, including deposition, retention and migration behaviors. However, such research in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is still missing, where is deemed as an environmental sensitive area. 239,240Pu in surface soil collected from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were determined for the first time in this work. The concentrations of 239,240Pu are in the range of 0.0176-1.95 Bq/kg, falling into the reported ranges in the background areas from the similar latitude belt. The 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratio range was measured to be 0.146-0.225, which is similar with the global fallout values. Both indicate that the global fallout is the major source of plutonium in this region, and the low plutonium level will not cause any radiation risk so far. Based on the statistical analysis of the possible parameters (organic content, moisture content, average annual precipitation, altitudes, topography and human activity), the large variations of 239,240Pu concentrations were mainly attributed to the retention process related factors including soil organic content and human activity disturbances. While, the deposition related factors including the average annual precipitation, altitudes, topography made insignificant influence on the spatial distribution of 239,240Pu concentrations due to the low 239,240Pu concentrations in atmosphere, less wet deposition amount and insignificant re-suspended amount. The highest 239,240Pu concentrations of 0.805-1.95 Bq/kg were mainly due to the good retention condition in the sampling sites with higher soil organic content and less human activity disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, PR China; Xi'an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi'an 710061, PR China; Open Studio for Oceanic-Continental Climate and Environment Changes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qiangdao 266061, PR China
| | - Xiaolin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, PR China; Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Risø Campus, Roskilde 4000, Denmark; Open Studio for Oceanic-Continental Climate and Environment Changes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qiangdao 266061, PR China.
| | - Zhao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Heng Liu
- Xi'an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi'an 710061, PR China
| | - Huan Jiang
- Xi'an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi'an 710061, PR China
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10
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Edomskaya MA, Lukashenko SN, Stupakova GA, Kharkin PV, Gluchshenko VN, Korovin SV. Estimation of radionuclides global fallout levels in the soils of CIS and eastern Europe territory. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2022; 247:106865. [PMID: 35316687 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.106865] [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: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This study is devoted to the estimation of radionuclides global fallout levels in the soils of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Eastern Europe territory as a result of nuclear explosions. 58 standard soil samples were used, which were selected in different soil and climatic areas of the territory of CIS and Eastern Europe in 1978-2018. All samples were measured by gamma spectrometry. Determination of plutonium isotopes and strontium was performed according to the method of the joint determination of these radionuclides from one sample. IN the samples considered in this work, the content of 60Co, 154Eu, 155Eu was below the detection limits, which were 0.4; 1.0 and 1.0, respectively. Natural radionuclides analysis results indicated that the obtained samples are typical soil samples without its abnormal contents. The content of 137Cs, 90Sr, 239+240Pu in a 20 cm soil layer due to global fallout is (3.9 ± 1.7), (2.2 ± 0.8), (0.18 ± 0.08) Bq/kg respectively, which considering the distribution of these radionuclides by depth and average soil density is (1.2 ± 0.5) kBq/m2 for 137Cs, (0.42 ± 0.15) kBq/m2- 90Sr and (55.0 ± 24.0) Bq/m2- 239+240Pu. The isotopic ratios137Cs/90Sr and 137Cs/239+240Pu for the territory of CIS and Eastern Europe are at the level (2.0 ± 0.71) and (25 ± 15), respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Edomskaya
- Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology, Obninsk, Russia.
| | - S N Lukashenko
- Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology, Obninsk, Russia
| | - G A Stupakova
- Russian Institute of Agricultural Chemistry, Moscow, Russia
| | - P V Kharkin
- The Institute of Nuclear Physics, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | | | - S V Korovin
- Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology, Obninsk, Russia
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11
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Sources and Variability of Plutonium in Chinese Soils: A Statistical Perspective with Moving Average. ATMOSPHERE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13050769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the different sources and their corresponding impact areas of Pu in Chinese surface soils to illustrate the state-of-the-art of the sources, levels and distributions of 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios as well as 239+240Pu activity concentrations in China. For the first time a moving average strategy in combination with statistical analysis was employed to partition geographic areas in China based on the reported 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio and 239+240Pu concentration data from public literature. During the partitioning, the median (MED) of the dataset was basically employed as a criteria in place of the commonly used arithmetic average (AM). Concisely, three areas were partitioned according to the different influences of Pu from the Lop Nor (LNTS) and Semipalatinsk (STS) test sites and the global fallout. The partitioned Ternary area (80° E–105° E, 35° N–50° N) was supposed to have multiple sources of Pu including the STS and LNTS besides the global fallout, which was characterized with slightly lower 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios (MED = 0.174) as well as elevated 239+240Pu concentrations (MED = 0.416 mBq/g). Meanwhile, the Binary area (35° N–45° N, 100° E–115° E) was considered to have received the extra contribution from the high-yield nuclear tests at the LNTS besides the global fallout, resulting in the highest 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios (MED = 0.200) across China. The remaining area was marked as the Unitary area, where it only received the exclusive contribution of global fallout. Furthermore, through the statistical analysis of the 240Pu/239Pu data in the Unitary area, we recommended a value of 0.186 ± 0.021 (AM ± SD) as a representative or area-specific 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio baseline to characterize the global fallout derived Pu in Chinese soils.
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Zhang M, Qiao J, Zhang W, Zhu L, Hou X. Plutonium isotopes in the northwestern South China Sea: Level, distribution, source and deposition. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 298:118846. [PMID: 35032601 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.118846] [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: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The spatial distribution of plutonium isotopes (239Pu, 240Pu) in the surface sediments collected from the northwestern South China Sea (SCS) in 2018 was investigated. The 239,240Pu concentrations in surface sediments vary from 0.048 to 0.960 mBq/g (with mean of 0.282 ± 0.242 mBq/g) depending on the geographical feature of the sampling location such as the river estuary, continental shelf, slope and deep basin. Higher 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios (0.24-0.31) in the surface sediment of the SCS compared to the global fallout value of 0.18 were observed, this is attributed to the input of close-in fallout of the Pacific Proving Ground (PPG) transported by the North Equatorial Current and Kuroshio Current to the northern SCS. The contribution of the PPG derived plutonium in the SCS sediment was estimated to be 39%-78% using a simple two-end member mixing model based on the measured 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios in the sediment. Besides the soluble 239,240Pu level in seawater, load of suspended particulate matter from the river runoff and biological debris, hydrographic and hydrodynamic conditions are key parameters influencing the deposition process of plutonium to the sediment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengting Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, PR China; Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Risø Campus, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark; Xi'an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi'an, 710061, PR China
| | - Jixin Qiao
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Risø Campus, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark
| | - Weichao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, PR China; Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi'an, 710024, PR China
| | - Liuchao Zhu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Risø Campus, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark
| | - Xiaolin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, PR China; Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Risø Campus, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark; Open Studio for Oceanic-Continental Climate and Environment Changes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, 266061, PR China.
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Feng D, Yang F, Wang X, Zhou X, Liu Z, Liao H. Distribution of plutonium isotopes in soils between two nuclear test sites: Semipalatinsk and Lop Nor. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2022; 242:106792. [PMID: 34929510 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106792] [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: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Plutonium (Pu) has attracted attention as an environmental tracer due to its radiotoxicity and the possibility of sources linked with nuclear accidents in recent years. Plutonium isotopes (239,240Pu) were detected at trace levels in soils collected from the Xinjiang region located between the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and China's Lop Nor nuclear test site. Little is known regarding the spatial variation of 239,240Pu in soils from this region. This study reports the use of Sector Field Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS) methods to distinguish between Pu isotopes derived from global fallout and nuclear weapon tests. We found that the 239,240Pu activity concentrations ranged from 0.035 to 1.338 mBq/g; the 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios were 0.157-0.223 with a weighted average of 0.180 ± 0.002, corresponding with the expected average global fallout ratio of 0.180 ± 0.014. This indicated that global fallout is the major source of Pu in the study region. The 239,240Pu inventories in these soils ranged from 23.67 to 222.7 Bq/m2, corresponding with those from other areas in China and other countries within the latitude range. Our Pu isotope data was supplemented with other published Pu data for soils collected in the vicinity of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and Lop Nor nuclear test site. Results indicate that 239,240Pu inventories and 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios in soils exhibit large variations with distance from the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. High deposition and accumulation of Pu, and low 240Pu/239Pu ratios were observed in close-in fallout and downwind regions of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and China's Lop Nor nuclear test site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongxia Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Fang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Xihuang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Xingxuan Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Zhiyong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X) and Collaborative Innovation Centre of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.
| | - Haiqing Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.
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Xu Y, Li C, Yu H, Fang F, Hou X, Zhang C, Li X, Xing S. Rapid determination of plutonium isotopes in small samples using single anion exchange separation and ICP-MS/MS measurement in NH 3-He mode for sediment dating. Talanta 2021; 240:123152. [PMID: 34942475 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.123152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
To accurately determine ultra-trace Pu isotopes in small environmental samples, we explored ICP-MS/MS in NH3-He mode, and investigated mechanism of 238U interference removal and measurement sensitivity improvement for plutonium isotopes. The interference of uranium and uranium hydrides was effectively eliminated using 0.4 mL/min NH3 as reaction gas by shifting them to U(NHm)n+ and UH(NHm)n+. The overall interference of uranium was reduced to <2.4 × 10-7, while remaining excellent 239Pu sensitivity (13,900 Mcps/(mg/L)) mainly due to ion focusing effect of Pu by helium gas. On this basis, the purification of plutonium using a single AG1- × 4 column was proved to be sufficient for accurate determination of plutonium isotopes by the developed detection method, and the detection limits for the method were estimated to be 0.16 fg (0.4 μBq) for 239Pu, 0.046 fg (0.4 μBq) for 240Pu and 0.039 fg (0.15 mBq) for 241Pu. The method was validated by analyzing plutonium isotopes in certificated reference materials and reported environmental samples of only 1-2 g. The analytical results of ultra-trace Pu isotopes in small amounts (∼1 g) of lake sediments obtained by the developed method were successfully applied to sediment dating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihong Xu
- The Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Regional Response in the Yangtze Huaihe River Basin, School of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China.
| | - Chen Li
- The Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Regional Response in the Yangtze Huaihe River Basin, School of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China
| | - Haiping Yu
- The Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Regional Response in the Yangtze Huaihe River Basin, School of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China
| | - Fengman Fang
- The Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Regional Response in the Yangtze Huaihe River Basin, School of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China
| | - Xiaolin Hou
- Technical University of Denmark, Department of Environmental Engineering, Risø Campus, Roskilde, DK-4000, Denmark; State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Regional Response in the Yangtze Huaihe River Basin, School of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China
| | - Xiaofei Li
- The Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Regional Response in the Yangtze Huaihe River Basin, School of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China
| | - Shan Xing
- China Institute for Radiation Protection, Taiyuan, 030000, China.
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Dang H, Yi X, Zhang Z, Zhang H, Lin J, Zhang W, Zhai S, Zhang J, Bai T, Zhang X, Liang J, Wang W. The level, distribution and source of artificial radionuclides in surface soil from Inner Mongolia, China. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2021; 233:106614. [PMID: 33901800 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Mid- and long-half-life artificial radioisotopes in the earth's surface environment are of great concern to the environmental radiation risk assessment. As nuclear fuel and fission products, 239Pu, 240Pu, 241Am, 90Sr and 137Cs in soils from Inner Mongolia of China were analyzed with a modified systematic separation procedure combined with ICP-MS and LSC measurements, to study the level, distribution and source of artificial radionuclides in the region. The radioactivity and inventory of 137Cs (0.26-28.3 Bq/kg, 0.5-5.4 kBq/m2), 239+240Pu (0.05-1.26 Bq/kg, 20-229 Bq/m2), 241Am (0.036-0.35 Bq/kg, 11-81 Bq/m2) and 90Sr (1.2-7.6 Bq/kg, 0.39-1.7 kBq/m2) all lie in the range of the global fallout. Vertical distributions of these radionuclides were examined for two soil core samples SC14025 and SC14038, and great differences were observed between these two sample locations. For SC14025 where little human disturbance to soil occurred, both 137Cs and 239+240Pu have a subsurface activity maximum followed by an exponential decay. Fittings base on CDE model gives a small downward migration velocity of about 0.097 cm/y for both Pu and 137Cs. Source identification for SC14025 and SC14038 soil cores with 240Pu/239Pu (average of 0.180 ± 0.017 and 0.164 ± 0.035, respectively), 137Cs/239+240Pu (average of 25.3 ± 0.6 and 25.6 ± 3.0, respectively) and 241Am/239+240Pu (average of 0.56 ± 0.08 and 0.60 ± 0.09, respectively) ratios consistently indicated that anthropogenic radionuclides in Xilingol region are mostly from the global fallout of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in the last century. According to the geographical distribution of the radioactivity level, the high radioactivity level in the east of Inner Mongolia probably results from enhanced deposition by the blocking of the Great Khingan Range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haijun Dang
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xian, 710024, China
| | - Xiaowei Yi
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xian, 710024, China
| | - Zilu Zhang
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xian, 710024, China
| | - Haitao Zhang
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xian, 710024, China.
| | - Jianfeng Lin
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xian, 710024, China
| | - Weichao Zhang
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xian, 710024, China
| | - Shaojing Zhai
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xian, 710024, China
| | - Jiamei Zhang
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xian, 710024, China
| | - Tao Bai
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xian, 710024, China
| | - Xiaolin Zhang
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xian, 710024, China
| | - Jianfeng Liang
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xian, 710024, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xian, 710024, China
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16
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Wang J, Du J, Qu J, Bi Q. Distribution of Pu isotopes and 210Pb in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea: Implications for provenance and transportation. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 263:127896. [PMID: 32854005 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Particle-reactive radionuclides are useful for tracing sediment dynamics in marginal seas. We collected a suite of surface sediment samples in May 2014 from the Bohai Sea (BS) and Northern Yellow Sea (NYS) to observe the spatial distribution of Plutonium (Pu) isotopes and 210Pb activities. 239+240Pu activities ranged from 0.001 to 0.288 and 0.040-0.269 Bq kg-1 in BS and NYS surface sediments, respectively. 210Pbex shows a significant correlation with 239+240Pu (r = 0.84, p < 0.01) that suggested these two nuclides were scavenged to the same grade. 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios in BS (0.173-0.256) and NYS (0.196-0.275) were slightly higher than the global fallout value of 0.18 and lower than the Pacific Proving Ground (PPG) value of 0.36, indicating that some fraction of Pu originating from the PPG was capable of being transported to the BS and NYS. Mass balance results showed that 41% of 239+240Pu (8.9 × 109 Bq yr-1) and 18% of 210Pb (2.4 × 1012 Bq yr-1) in the NYS originated in the oceanic input. In the BS, 63% of 210Pb originated from atmospheric deposition and 84% of 239+240Pu originated from riverine input. Using Pu and 210Pb as tracers, we estimate that (1.8-2.6) × 108 t yr-1 and (3.6-3.8) × 108 t yr-1 of sedimentary particles could be transported from the BS to the NYS and from the NYS to the Southern Yellow Sea, respectively. Furthermore, the 226Ra/238U activity ratio distribution suggested that sedimentary particles derived from the Yellow River could be transported to the middle of the BS and coastal areas of the NYS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinlong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, PR China
| | - Jinzhou Du
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, PR China.
| | - Jianguo Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, PR China
| | - Qianqian Bi
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, PR China
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17
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Cook M, de Caritat P, Kleinschmidt R, Brugger J, Wong VN. Future migration: Key environmental indicators of Pu accumulation in terrestrial sediments of Queensland, Australia. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 223-224:106398. [PMID: 32932188 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106398] [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: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Plutonium (Pu) interactions in the environment are highly complex. Site-specific variables play an integral role in determining the chemical and physical form of Pu, and its migration, bioavailability, and immobility. This paper aims to identify the key variables that can be used to highlight regions of radioecological sensitivity and guide remediation strategies in Australia. Plutonium is present in the Australian environment as a result of global fallout and the British nuclear testing program of 1952-1958 in central and west Australia (Maralinga and Montebello islands). We report the first systematic measurements of 239+240Pu and 238Pu activity concentrations in distal (≥1000 km from test sites) catchment outlet sediments from Queensland, Australia. The average 239+240Pu activity concentration was 0.29 mBq.g -1 (n = 73 samples) with a maximum of 4.88 mBq.g -1.238Pu/239+240Pu isotope ratios identified a large range (0.02-0.29 (RSD: 74%)) which is congruent with the heterogeneous nuclear material used for the British nuclear testing programme at Maralinga and Montebello Islands. The use of a modified PCA relying on non-linear distance correlation (dCorr) provided broader insight into the impact of environmental variables on the transport and migration of Pu in this soil system. Primary key environmental indicators of Pu presence were determined to be actinide/lanthanide/heavier transition metals, elevation, electrical conductivity (EC), CaO, SiO2, SO3, landform, geomorphology, land use, and climate explaining 81.7% of the variance of the system. Overall this highlighted that trace level Pu accumulations are associated with the coarse, refractive components of Australian soils, and are more likely regulated by the climate of the region and overall soil type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Cook
- School of Earth, Atmosphere & Environment, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
| | | | - Ross Kleinschmidt
- Epic Environmental, PO Box 13058, Brisbane, Queensland, 4003, Australia
| | - Joёl Brugger
- School of Earth, Atmosphere & Environment, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Vanessa Nl Wong
- School of Earth, Atmosphere & Environment, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
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Zhao X, Qiao J, Hou X. Plutonium isotopes in Northern Xinjiang, China: Level, distribution, sources and their contributions. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 265:114929. [PMID: 32540598 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Plutonium in the environment has drawn significant attentions due to its radiotoxicity in high concentration and source term linked with nuclear accidents and contaminations. The isotopic ratio of plutonium is source dependent and can be used as a fingerprint to discriminate the sources of radioactive contaminant. 239Pu, 240Pu and 137Cs in surface soil and soil cores collected from Northern Xinjiang were determined in this work. The concentrations of 239,240Pu and 137Cs are in the range of 0.06-1.20 Bq kg-1, and <1.0-31.4 Bq kg-1 (decay corrected to Sep. 2017), respectively, falling in the ranges of global fallout in this latitude zone. The 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios of 0.118-0.209 and 239,240Pu/137Cs activity ratios of 0.039-0.215 were measured. Among the investigated sites, distinctly lower 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios of 0.118-0.133 and higher 239,240Pu/137Cs activity ratios of 0.065-0.215 compared to the global fallout values were observed in the northwest part, indicating a significant contribution from other source besides the global fallout. This extra source is mainly attributed to the releases of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing at Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, which was transported by the west and northwest wind through the river valley among mountains in this region. This contribution is estimated to account for 28-43% of the global fallout in the northwest part of Northern Xinjiang. The contribution from the Chinese atmospheric nuclear weapons testing to this region is negligible due to the lack of appropriate wind direction to transport the radioactive releases to this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Zhao
- Technical University of Denmark, Department of Environmental Engineering, Risø Campus, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark; State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an, 710061, PR China
| | - Jixin Qiao
- Technical University of Denmark, Department of Environmental Engineering, Risø Campus, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark
| | - Xiaolin Hou
- Technical University of Denmark, Department of Environmental Engineering, Risø Campus, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark; State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an, 710061, PR China; CAS center of Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an, 710061, PR China; Open Studio for Oceanic-Continental Climate and Environment Changes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, 266100, PR China.
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Meusburger K, Evrard O, Alewell C, Borrelli P, Cinelli G, Ketterer M, Mabit L, Panagos P, van Oost K, Ballabio C. Plutonium aided reconstruction of caesium atmospheric fallout in European topsoils. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11858. [PMID: 32678221 PMCID: PMC7366645 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68736-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Global nuclear weapon testing and the Chernobyl accident have released large amounts of radionuclides into the environment. However, to date, the spatial patterns of these fallout sources remain poorly constrained. Fallout radionuclides (137Cs, 239Pu, 240Pu) were measured in soil samples (n = 160) collected at flat, undisturbed grasslands in Western Europe in the framework of a harmonised European soil survey. We show that both fallout sources left a specific radionuclide imprint in European soils. Accordingly, we used plutonium to quantify contributions of global versus Chernobyl fallout to 137Cs found in European soils. Spatial prediction models allowed for a first assessment of the global versus Chernobyl fallout pattern across national boundaries. Understanding the magnitude of these fallout sources is crucial not only to establish a baseline in case of future radionuclide fallout but also to define a baseline for geomorphological reconstructions of soil redistribution due to soil erosion processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Meusburger
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
| | - Olivier Evrard
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (LSCE-IPSL), UMR 8212 (CEA-CNRS-UVSQ), Université Paris-Saclay, CEA Saclay, l'Orme des Merisiers, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Christine Alewell
- Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 30, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Pasquale Borrelli
- Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 30, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027, Ispra, VA, Italy
| | - Giorgia Cinelli
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027, Ispra, VA, Italy
| | - Michael Ketterer
- Chemistry Department, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Lionel Mabit
- Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Laboratory (SWMCNL), Joint FAO, IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Seibersdorf, Austria
| | - Panos Panagos
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027, Ispra, VA, Italy
| | - Kristof van Oost
- TECLIM, George Lemaitre Center for Earth and Climate, Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
- Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS), 1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Cristiano Ballabio
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027, Ispra, VA, Italy
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20
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Guan Y, Mai J, Xu J, Liu Z. Characteristic of Pu from urban wetland and lacustrine sediments in Suzhou Industrial Park, China. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 213:106134. [PMID: 31983444 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2019] [Revised: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In this study, plutonium activity concentrations in the urban wetlands and lacustrine sediment of Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) are studied for the first time. Results show 239+240Pu activity concentrations in the wetland surface soils of SIP range from 0.035 to 0.426 mBq/g and the 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio ranges from 0.171±0.024 to 0.226±0.049. Judging from the atom ratio of 240Pu/239Pu, the main source of Pu in the wetland is global fallout. The correlations of Pu between organic matter and heavy metals are also studied. The correlation coefficients show Pu has significant positive correlations with Cu, Sn and Pb but negative correlation with As. Unlike distributions of Pu in other places, Pu in SIP has weak correlation with organic matter content. A sediment core from Lake Yangcheng is also analyzed to investigate the historical record of Pu deposition. The atom ratios of each layer in the sediment core indicate the area is mainly influenced by global fallout. Using Pu as a discrete-time maker, the deposition rate in Lake Yangcheng is 0.396±0.019 cm/yr. The calculated inventory of 239+240Pu is 58.5 Bq/m2, which is in the range of inventories of the corresponding latitudes according to UNSCEAR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongjin Guan
- Guangxi Key Laboratory for Relativistic Astrophysics, School of Physical Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Jingyu Mai
- Guangxi Key Laboratory for Relativistic Astrophysics, School of Physical Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China; State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X) and Collaborative Innovation Centre of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Jiawei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X) and Collaborative Innovation Centre of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Zhiyong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X) and Collaborative Innovation Centre of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.
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Wu J, Sun J, Xiao X. An overview of current knowledge concerning the inventory and sources of plutonium in the China Seas. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 150:110599. [PMID: 31733905 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Revised: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This study reviews the current understanding of the inventory and sources of plutonium (Pu) in the marine environment adjacent to China. The 239+240Pu inventory in the China Seas was found to have large spatial variations. The quantity in sediments decreases away from the shore, generally tracing the sedimentation rate distribution. High 239+240Pu inventories indicated that Pu in the water column was easily scavenged since Pu has a high particle affinity. Indeed, substantially higher 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios were observed in the sediment and seawater of the China Seas than are found in global fallout. We thus clarified that Pu sources in the China Seas were from both global fallout and the Pacific Proving Grounds (PPG) in the Pacific Marshall Islands. Plutonium from the latter source is transported into the China Seas through the North Equatorial Current (NEC) and Kuroshio. Using a two end-member mixing model, we revealed that the contribution of Pu from the PPG accounts for over 40% of the Pu in the East China Sea (ECS) and South China Sea (SCS), and less than 20% of the Pu in the Yellow Sea (YS). The distributions and isotopic composition of Pu in the China Seas indicate strong scavenging of Pu in the ECS and high Pu accumulation in the SCS. This information on the inventory and isotopic composition of Pu helps to establish a background for the future study of Pu in the China Seas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwen Wu
- College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China.
| | - Jiang Sun
- College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China
| | - Xiyu Xiao
- College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China
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22
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Wang R, Fu Y, Lei L, Li G, Liu Z. Distribution and Source Identification of Pu in River Basins in Southern China. ACS OMEGA 2019; 4:22646-22654. [PMID: 31909349 PMCID: PMC6941367 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b03650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The 239+240Pu activities and 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios in surface sediments from the major river basins in southern China were analyzed to investigate the distribution and source of Pu. We clarified that the 239+240Pu activities in these river basins were very similar, however, only the 239+240Pu activities in the Jinjiang Basin were generally higher than other samples. Because of river transport function, the distribution of 239+240Pu activities in these river basins presented an increasing trend from the upstream region to the estuary. According to the 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios, the Pu source in the inner river basins might be from global fallout, and the Pu in river estuaries might be from the global fallout and the Pacific Proving Grounds (PPG) in the Marshall Islands. Using a mass balance of the Pu model, we quantified in the Pearl River Estuary and the Pu contribution from the Pearl River Basin to Pu inventory was 13 ± 5%. These data not only filled in a knowledge gap of Pu in these river basins but also served as background data for Pu contamination from a nuclear reactor. Also, there are several planned and operating nuclear power plants in these river basins and these data could provide some indications for dealing with nuclear accidents in different parts of river basins in the future. In this study, we also analyzed some factors that would affect the distribution of 239+240Pu activities; however, only total organic carbon (TOC) content and the heavy metal As had a positive correlation with the 239+240Pu activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruirui Wang
- State
Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological
and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X) and Collaborative Innovation
Centre of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yao Fu
- State
Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological
and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X) and Collaborative Innovation
Centre of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Ling Lei
- State
Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological
and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X) and Collaborative Innovation
Centre of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Gang Li
- Key
Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology, South China Sea Institute
of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510300, China
| | - Zhiyong Liu
- State
Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological
and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X) and Collaborative Innovation
Centre of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
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23
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Vertical distribution and migration of plutonium in the Loess Plateau, North Shaanxi, China. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-019-06744-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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24
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Zhang W, Hou X. Level, distribution and sources of plutonium in the coastal areas of China. CHEMOSPHERE 2019; 230:587-595. [PMID: 31125887 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.05.094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Plutonium is an important radioactive element in view of its biological toxicity and environmental impact. The two most important isotopes of plutonium, 239Pu and 240Pu, in the surface soil from the coastal area of China were determined using radiochemical separation combined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) measurement. The average of the measured 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios in all these samples is 0.186 ± 0.021, which is in good agreement with the ratio of global fallout of the nuclear weapons tests. This indicates that the major source of plutonium in this region is global fallout, and there is no measurable release of plutonium from any nuclear power plant along the coast of China. The 239,240Pu concentrations in all 71 soil samples range from 0.002 mBq/g to 0.670 mBq/g, which fall in the range of the reported values in the background area not directly influenced by nuclear activities. The anthropogenic disturbance of sampling sites, vegetation coverage of land, precipitation rate and organic substance content and erosion of soil have significant influence on the level of plutonium in the surface soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weichao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaolin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; Center for Nuclear Technologies, Technical University of Denmark, DTU Nutech, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark; CAS Center of Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an, 710061, China; Open Studio for Oceanic-Continental Climate and Environment Changes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, 266061, China.
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25
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Hou X, Zhang W, Wang Y. Determination of Femtogram-Level Plutonium Isotopes in Environmental and Forensic Samples with High-Level Uranium Using Chemical Separation and ICP-MS/MS Measurement. Anal Chem 2019; 91:11553-11561. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b01347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi’an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710061, China
- Center for Nuclear Technologies, Technical University of Denmark, DTU Nutech, Roskilde DK-4000, Denmark
- CAS Center of Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi’an 710061, China
- Open Studio for Oceanic-Continental Climate and Environment Changes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266061, China
| | - Weichao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi’an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710061, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yanyun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi’an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710061, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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26
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Huang Y, Tims SG, Froehlich MB, Pan S, Fifield LK, Pavetich S, Koll D. The 240Pu/ 239Pu atom ratio in Chinese soils. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 678:603-610. [PMID: 31085490 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio is a very effective tool for the identification of the origin of plutonium (Pu) in the soil environment. We examine a dataset of 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios determined from surface and core soils at 240 sites across China. The data were compiled from 18 separate literature sources from the last 20 years. For the first time the spatial distribution (3 latitude bands and 7 natural regions) of the weighted average 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios in Chinese soils is investigated. An area to the West of Xining City, shows a weighted average 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio of 0.167 ± 0.002, lower than that of average global fallout, which likely arises from the addition of local fallout radionuclides from the Chinese nuclear weapon tests at Lop Nor between 1964 and 1980. The Yumen and Jiuquan areas of Northwest China in particular show evidence of very low ratio material from the Chinese nuclear weapon tests. Excluding the impacted area around the test site the weighted average 240Pu/239Pu ratio of 0.182 ± 0.002 suggests that global fallout is the main source of Pu in most Chinese soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Huang
- The key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, PR China; Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra 2601, ACT, Australia
| | - Stephen G Tims
- Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra 2601, ACT, Australia.
| | - Michaela B Froehlich
- Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra 2601, ACT, Australia
| | - Shaoming Pan
- The key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, PR China.
| | - L Keith Fifield
- Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra 2601, ACT, Australia
| | - Stefan Pavetich
- Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra 2601, ACT, Australia
| | - Dominik Koll
- Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra 2601, ACT, Australia
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27
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Wu J. Isotopic composition and source of plutonium in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau frozen soils. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7861. [PMID: 31133665 PMCID: PMC6536505 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44391-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The 239+240Pu activities and 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios in the frozen soils of the Yellow River Source Area (YRSA) were determined to examine the Pu source and evaluate its environmental risk. The 239+240Pu activities of surface frozen soils in the YRSA, ranging from 0.053 to 0.836 mBq g-1, are comparable to those observed in China elsewhere (0.005-1.990 mBq g-1). The 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios of surface soils in the YRSA are in the range of 0.168-0.201 (average = 0.187 ± 0.012, n = 6), comparable to the global fallout of 0.180 ± 0.014. Based on the latitudinal and spatial distribution of Pu isotopic composition, I clarified that the Pu source is mainly from global fallout at present. The activity levels of Pu in the YRSA do far not cause a Pu toxicity to the downstream drinking water even the frozen soil begins to melt and release Pu to the Yellow River. However, since close-in fallout from Lop Nor where the Chinese nuclear tests were carried out during 1964-1980, high deposition and accumulation of Pu was observed in the Chinese soil cores through synthesizing an expanded Pu dataset, which alerts us it is necessary to further monitor the Pu activity levels in the YRSA soil cores to ensure the safety of downstream drinking water. Finally, I point out that information on Pu isotopes would help in establishing a baseline for future environmental risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwen Wu
- Institute of Marine Biology, College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, 361102, Xiamen, China.
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28
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Ni Y, Wang Z, Guo Q, Zheng J, Li S, Lin J, Tan Z, Huang W. Distinctive distributions and migrations of 239+240Pu and 241Am in Chinese forest, grassland and desert soils. CHEMOSPHERE 2018; 212:1002-1009. [PMID: 30286529 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Revised: 08/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The vertical distributions and downward migrations of the global fallout derived 239+240Pu and 241Am in diverse types of Chinese soils (forest, grassland and desert) were studied. The mean 239+240Pu and 241Am activity concentrations in the investigated soil cores were 0.28-0.69 mBq/g and 0.13-0.37 mBq/g, respectively, while the accumulative inventories were 61.53-138.99 Bq/m2 for 239+240Pu and 28.29-61.05 Bq/m2 for 241Am. The convection-dispersion equation (CDE) was used to calculate the migration parameters of 239+240Pu and higher apparent dispersion coefficients (D) were observed for the acidic forest soils compared with the alkaline grassland and desert soils; meanwhile a compartment model was employed to compare the migration of 239+240Pu and 241Am in successive soil layers which showed that the migration behaviors of 239+240Pu and 241Am were rather similar; both velocities were less than 0.3 cm/y in diverse types of soils and these findings were compatible with those of short-term laboratory simulation experiments in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youyi Ni
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Zhongtang Wang
- Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China.
| | - Qiuju Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, 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.
| | - Sixuan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jinxian Lin
- Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - Zhaoyi Tan
- Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - Wenna Huang
- Radiation Monitoring Technical Center of Ministry of Environmental Protection, Hangzhou 310012, China
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29
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Xing S, Zhang W, Qiao J, Hou X. Determination of ultra-low level plutonium isotopes ( 239Pu, 240Pu) in environmental samples with high uranium. Talanta 2018; 187:357-364. [PMID: 29853059 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2018.05.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In order to measure trace plutonium and its isotopes ratio (240Pu/239Pu) in environmental samples with a high uranium, an analytical method was developed using radiochemical separation for separation of plutonium from matrix and interfering elements including most of uranium and ICP-MS for measurement of plutonium isotopes. A novel measurement method was established for extensively removing the isobaric interference from uranium (238U1H and 238UH2+) and tailing of 238U, but significantly improving the measurement sensitivity of plutonium isotopes by employing NH3/He as collision/reaction cell gases and MS/MS system in the triple quadrupole ICP-MS instrument. The results show that removal efficiency of uranium interference was improved by more than 15 times, and the sensitivity of plutonium isotopes was increased by a factor of more than 3 compared to the conventional ICP-MS. The mechanism on the effective suppress of 238U interference for 239Pu measurement using NH3-He reaction gases was explored to be the formation of UNH+ and UNH2+ in the reactions of UH+ and U+ with NH3, while no reaction between NH3 and Pu+. The detection limits of this method were estimated to be 0.55 fg mL-1 for 239Pu, 0.09 fg mL-1 for 240Pu. The analytical precision and accuracy of the method for Pu isotopes concentration and 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratio were evaluated by analysis of sediment reference materials (IAEA-385 and IAEA-412) with different levels of plutonium and uranium. The developed method were successfully applied to determine 239Pu and 240Pu concentrations and 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios in soil samples collected in coastal areas of eastern China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China; China Institute of Radiation Protection, Taiyuan, China
| | - Weichao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China
| | - Jixin Qiao
- Technical University of Denmark, Center for Nuclear Technologies, Risø Campus, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Xiaolin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China; Technical University of Denmark, Center for Nuclear Technologies, Risø Campus, Roskilde, Denmark.
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30
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Hao Y, Xu Y, Pan S, Song X, Zhang K, Guo H, Gu Z. Sources of plutonium isotopes and 137Cs in coastal seawaters of Liaodong Bay and Bohai Strait, China and its environmental implications. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2018; 130:240-248. [PMID: 29866553 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.03.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In order to investigate the sources of plutonium in seawaters of Liaodong Bay and Bohai Strait, China, surface seawater samples were collected and analyzed for 239+240Pu and 137Cs by radiochemical separation combined with ICP-MS and γ-spectrometry, respectively. A large variation of 239+240Pu activities was observed, ranging from 1.993 to 29.677 mBq/m3 in the Liaodong Bay and from 0.932 to 10.183 mBq/m3 in the Bohai Strait. 137Cs activities showed little variation between the investigated locations, which was attributed to the different behavior characteristics of 239+240Pu and 137Cs in seawaters. The 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios showed a significant variation between the Liaodong Bay (0.185) and Bohai Strait (0.225), indicating that Pu derived from the Pacific Proving Grounds might have been transported to the Bohai Strait but not yet to the Liaodong Bay, which could further provide valuable reference for evaluating the seawater exchange cycle between the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongpei Hao
- The Key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yihong Xu
- The Key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Shaoming Pan
- The Key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Xiaowei Song
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resources Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210046, China
| | - Kexin Zhang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Haiting Guo
- The Key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Zhi Gu
- The Key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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31
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Xu Y, Pan S, Wu M, Zhang K, Hao Y. Association of Plutonium isotopes with natural soil particles of different size and comparison with 137Cs. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 581-582:541-549. [PMID: 28057340 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.12.162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Revised: 12/23/2016] [Accepted: 12/23/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Information on how plutonium (Pu) isotopes associate with natural soil particles of different size is very important for the interpretation involved in the application of Pu isotopes as soil erosion tracers. This work investigated the association of Pu isotopes with different particle size fractions of natural soils and compared it with that of 137Cs. Ten bulk soils collected from two different areas were separated into different particle size fractions by a combination of wet sieving and centrifugation techniques and the sub-samples were analyzed for 137Cs, 239Pu and 240Pu. Results showed that the concentrations of both 239+240Pu and 137Cs increase with decreased particle sizes and are closely related to the specific surface areas of soil particles, which demonstrated a similar preferential association of Pu with finer soil particles as 137Cs. The activity ratios of 239+240Pu/137Cs in soil fractions increasing with increased particle size further indicated a less preferential transport of Pu with fine particles compared to 137Cs. These results not only highlight the suitability of Pu isotopes as soil erosion tracers, but also provide useful information for assessing the migration behavior of Pu in contaminated environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihong Xu
- The key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Shaoming Pan
- The key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Mengmeng Wu
- The key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Kexin Zhang
- The key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yongpei Hao
- The key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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32
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Dong W, Zheng J, Guo Q. Particle-size speciation of Pu isotopes in surface soils from Inner Mongolia (China) and its implications for Asian Dust monitoring. Appl Radiat Isot 2017; 120:133-136. [DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2016.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Revised: 11/27/2016] [Accepted: 12/11/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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33
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Wang Z, Zheng J, Ni Y, Men W, Tagami K, Uchida S. High-Performance Method for Determination of Pu Isotopes in Soil and Sediment Samples by Sector Field-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Anal Chem 2017; 89:2221-2226. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b04975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhongtang Wang
- Biospheric
Assessment for Waste Disposal Team, National Institute of Radiological
Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Jian Zheng
- Biospheric
Assessment for Waste Disposal Team, National Institute of Radiological
Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Youyi Ni
- Biospheric
Assessment for Waste Disposal Team, 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, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wu Men
- Biospheric
Assessment for Waste Disposal Team, 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
- Biospheric
Assessment for Waste Disposal Team, National Institute of Radiological
Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Shigeo Uchida
- Biospheric
Assessment for Waste Disposal Team, National Institute of Radiological
Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
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Arata L, Alewell C, Frenkel E, A'Campo-Neuen A, Iurian AR, Ketterer ME, Mabit L, Meusburger K. Modelling Deposition and Erosion rates with RadioNuclides (MODERN) - Part 2: A comparison of different models to convert 239+240Pu inventories into soil redistribution rates at unploughed sites. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2016; 162-163:97-106. [PMID: 27227561 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Revised: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Sheet erosion is one of the major threats to alpine soils. To quantify its role and impact in the degradation processes of alpine grasslands, the application of Fallout Radionuclides (FRN) showed very promising results. The specific characteristics of plutonium 239 + 240 (239+240Pu), such as the homogeneous fallout distribution, the long half-life and the cost and time effective measurements make this tracer application for investigating soil degradation in Alpine grasslands more suitable than any other FRN (e.g. 137Cs). However, the conversion of 239+240Pu inventories into soil erosion rates remains a challenge. Currently available conversion models have been developed mainly for 137Cs with later adaptation to other FRN (e.g. Excess 210Pb, and 7Be), each model being defined for specific land use (ploughed and/or unploughed) and processes (erosion or deposition). As such, they may fail in describing correctly the distribution of Pu isotopes in the soil. A new conversion model, MODERN, with an adaptable algorithm to estimate erosion and deposition rates from any FRN inventory changes was recently proposed (Arata et al., 2016). In this complementary contribution, the authors compare the application of MODERN to other available conversion models. The results show a good agreement between soil redistribution rates obtained from MODERN and from the models currently used by the FRN scientific community (i.e. the Inventory Method).
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Arata
- Environmental Geosciences, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Christine Alewell
- Environmental Geosciences, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Switzerland
| | - Elena Frenkel
- Institute de Recherche Mathématique Avancée (IRMA), University of Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Andra-Rada Iurian
- Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Consolidated Radioisotope Facility, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK
| | - Michael E Ketterer
- Chemistry Department, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Lionel Mabit
- Soil and Water Management & Crop Nutrition Laboratory, FAO/IAEA Agriculture & Biotechnology Laboratory, Seibersdorf, Austria
| | - Katrin Meusburger
- Environmental Geosciences, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Switzerland
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Meusburger K, Mabit L, Ketterer M, Park JH, Sandor T, Porto P, Alewell C. A multi-radionuclide approach to evaluate the suitability of (239+240)Pu as soil erosion tracer. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 566-567:1489-1499. [PMID: 27338845 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.06.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Fallout radionuclides have been used successfully worldwide as tracers for soil erosion, but relatively few studies exploit the full potential of plutonium (Pu) isotopes. Hence, this study aims to explore the suitability of the plutonium isotopes (239)Pu and (240)Pu as a method to assess soil erosion magnitude by comparison to more established fallout radionuclides such as (137)Cs and (210)Pbex. As test area an erosion affected headwater catchment of the Lake Soyang (South Korea) was selected. All three fallout radionuclides confirmed high erosion rates for agricultural sites (>25tha(-1)yr(-1)). Pu isotopes further allowed determining the origin of the fallout. Both (240)Pu/(239)Pu atomic ratios and (239+240)Pu/(137)Cs activity ratios were close to the global fallout ratio. However, the depth profile of the (239+240)Pu/(137)Cs activity ratios in undisturbed sites showed lower ratios in the top soil increments, which might be due to higher migration rates of (239+240)Pu. The activity ratios further indicated preferential transport of (137)Cs from eroded sites (higher ratio compared to the global fallout) to the depositional sites (smaller ratio). As such the (239+240)Pu/(137)Cs activity ratio offered a new approach to parameterize a particle size correction factor that can be applied when both (137)Cs and (239+240)Pu have the same fallout source. Implementing this particle size correction factor in the conversion of (137)Cs inventories resulted in comparable estimates of soil loss for (137)Cs and (239+240)Pu. The comparison among the different fallout radionuclides highlights the suitability of (239+240)Pu through less preferential transport compared to (137)Cs and the possibility to gain information regarding the origin of the fallout. In conclusion, (239+240)Pu is a promising soil erosion tracer, however, since the behaviour i.e. vertical migration in the soil and lateral transport during water erosion was shown to differ from that of (137)Cs, there is a clear need for a wider agro-environmental testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Meusburger
- Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 30, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Lionel Mabit
- Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Laboratory, FAO/IAEA Agriculture & Biotechnology Laboratory, IAEA Laboratories, Seibersdorf, Austria.
| | - Michael Ketterer
- Chemistry Department, Metropolitan State University of Denver, CO, USA.
| | - Ji-Hyung Park
- Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Republic of Korea.
| | - Tarjan Sandor
- Radioanalytical Reference Laboratory, Central Agricultural Office Food and Feed Safety Directorate, Hungary
| | - Paolo Porto
- Dipartimento di AGRARIA, Università degli Studi "Mediterranea" di Reggio Calabria, Italy.
| | - Christine Alewell
- Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 30, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.
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Bu W, Guo Q, Zheng J, Uchida S. Plutonium concentration and 240Pu/239Pu isotopic ratio in the surface soils from the Jiuquan region in northwestern China. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-016-5002-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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37
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Ali HE, Reineking B. Extensive management of field margins enhances their potential for off-site soil erosion mitigation. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2016; 169:202-209. [PMID: 26760443 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Revised: 12/10/2015] [Accepted: 12/23/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Soil erosion is a widespread problem in agricultural landscapes, particularly in regions with strong rainfall events. Vegetated field margins can mitigate negative impacts of soil erosion off-site by trapping eroded material. Here we analyse how local management affects the trapping capacity of field margins in a monsoon region of South Korea, contrasting intensively and extensively managed field margins on both steep and shallow slopes. Prior to the beginning of monsoon season, we equipped a total of 12 sites representing three replicates for each of four different types of field margins ("intensive managed flat", "intensive managed steep", "extensive managed flat" and "extensive managed steep") with Astroturf mats. The mats (n = 15/site) were placed before, within and after the field margin. Sediment was collected after each rain event until the end of the monsoon season. The effect of management and slope on sediment trapping was analysed using linear mixed effects models, using as response variable either the sediment collected within the field margin or the difference in sediment collected after and before the field margin. There was no difference in the amount of sediment reaching the different field margin types. In contrast, extensively managed field margins showed a large reduction in collected sediment before and after the field margins. This effect was pronounced in steep field margins, and increased with the size of rainfall events. We conclude that a field margin management promoting a dense vegetation cover is a key to mitigating negative off-site effects of soil erosion in monsoon regions, particularly in field margins with steep slopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamada E Ali
- Biogeographical Modelling, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany; Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, 41522 Ismailia, Egypt.
| | - Björn Reineking
- Biogeographical Modelling, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany; Irstea, UR EMGR, 2 rue de la Papeterie-BP 76, F-38402 St-Martin-d'Hères, France; Univ. Grenoble Alpes, F-38402 Grenoble, France
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38
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Bu W, Ni Y, Guo Q, Zheng J, Uchida S. Pu isotopes in soils collected downwind from Lop Nor: regional fallout vs. global fallout. Sci Rep 2015; 5:12262. [PMID: 26184740 PMCID: PMC4505309 DOI: 10.1038/srep12262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2014] [Accepted: 05/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
For the first time, soil core samples from the Jiuquan region have been analyzed for Pu isotopes for radioactive source identification and radiological assessment. The Jiuquan region is in downwind from the Lop Nor Chinese nuclear test (CNT) site. The high Pu inventories (13 to 546 Bq/m2) in most of the sampling locations revealed that this region was heterogeneously contaminated by the regional fallout Pu from the CNTs. The contributions of the CNTs to the total Pu in soils were estimated to be more than 40% in most cases. The 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios in the soils ranged from 0.059 to 0.186 with an inventory-weighted average of 0.158, slightly lower than that of global fallout. This atom ratio could be considered as a mixed fingerprint of Pu from the CNTs. In addition, Pu in soils of Jiuquan region had a faster downward migration rate compared with other investigated places in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenting Bu
- 1] State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China [2] Research Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Anagawa 4-9-1, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Youyi Ni
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Qiuju Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jian Zheng
- Research Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Anagawa 4-9-1, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Shigeo Uchida
- Research Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Anagawa 4-9-1, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
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Using 239+240Pu atmospheric deposition and a simplified mass-balance model to re-estimate the soil erosion rate: a case study of Liaodong Bay in China. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-015-4208-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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40
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Wang Z, Yang G, Zheng J, Cao L, Yu H, Zhu Y, Tagami K, Uchida S. Effect of Ashing Temperature on Accurate Determination of Plutonium in Soil Samples. Anal Chem 2015; 87:5511-5. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5b01472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhongtang Wang
- Research
Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Guosheng Yang
- Research
Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Jian Zheng
- Research
Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Liguo Cao
- Research
Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
- School
of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Haijun Yu
- College of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Yanbei Zhu
- National
Metrology
Institute of Japan, AIST, 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8563, Japan
| | - Keiko Tagami
- Research
Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Shigeo Uchida
- Research
Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
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Plutonium concentration and isotopic ratio in soil samples from central-eastern Japan collected around the 1970s. Sci Rep 2015; 5:9636. [PMID: 25881009 PMCID: PMC4399503 DOI: 10.1038/srep09636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Accepted: 03/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Obtaining Pu background data in the environment is essential for contamination source identification and assessment of environmental impact of Pu released from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) accident. However, no baseline information on Pu isotopes in Fukushima Prefecture has been reported. Here we analyzed 80 surface soil samples collected from the central-eastern Japan during 1969–1977 for 239+240Pu activity concentration and 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio to establish the baseline before the FDNPP accident. We found that 239+240Pu activity concentrations ranged from 0.004 –1.46 mBq g−1, and 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios varied narrowly from 0.148 to 0.229 with a mean of 0.186 ± 0.015. We also reconstructed the surface deposition density of 241Pu using the 241Pu/239Pu atom ratio in the Japanese fallout reference material. The obtained results indicated that, for the FDNPP-accident released 241Pu, a similar radiation impact can be estimated as was seen for the global fallout deposited 241Pu in the last decades.
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Xu Y, Qiao J, Pan S, Hou X, Roos P, Cao L. Plutonium as a tracer for soil erosion assessment in northeast China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2015; 511:176-185. [PMID: 25544336 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2014] [Revised: 12/02/2014] [Accepted: 12/02/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Soil erosion is one of the most serious environmental and agricultural problems faced by human society. Assessing intensity is an important issue for controlling soil erosion and improving eco-environmental quality. The suitability of the application of plutonium (Pu) as a tracer for soil erosion assessment in northeast China was investigated by comparing with that of 137Cs. Here we build on preliminary work, in which we investigated the potential of Pu as a soil erosion tracer by sampling additional reference sites and potential erosive sites, along the Liaodong Bay region in northeast China, for Pu isotopes and 137Cs. 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios in all samples were approximately 0.18, which indicated that the dominant source of Pu was the global fallout. Pu showed very similar distribution patterns to those of 137Cs at both uncultivated and cultivated sites. 239+240Pu concentrations in all uncultivated soil cores followed an exponential decline with soil depth, whereas at cultivated sites, Pu was homogenously distributed in plow horizons. Factors such as planted crop types, as well as methods and frequencies of irrigation and tillage were suggested to influence the distribution of radionuclides in cultivated land. The baseline inventories of 239+240Pu and 137Cs were 88.4 and 1688 Bq m(-2) respectively. Soil erosion rates estimated by 239+240Pu tracing method were consistent with those obtained by the 137Cs method, confirming that Pu is an effective tracer with a similar tracing behavior to that of 137Cs for soil erosion assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihong Xu
- School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jixin Qiao
- Center for Nuclear Technologies, Technical University of Denmark, Risø Campus, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Shaoming Pan
- School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Xiaolin Hou
- Center for Nuclear Technologies, Technical University of Denmark, Risø Campus, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark; Xi'an AMS Center, SKLLQG, Institute of Earth Environment, CAS, Xi'an 710075, China.
| | - Per Roos
- Center for Nuclear Technologies, Technical University of Denmark, Risø Campus, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Liguo Cao
- School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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43
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Bu W, Zheng J, Guo Q, Uchida S. Vertical distribution and migration of global fallout Pu in forest soils in southwestern China. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2014; 136:174-180. [PMID: 24963802 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2014.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2014] [Revised: 05/30/2014] [Accepted: 06/08/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Soil samples collected in southwestern China were analyzed for Pu isotopes. The (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios were around 0.18, which indicated the dominant source of global fallout. Consistent sub-surface maximums followed by exponential decline of (239+240)Pu activities in the soil cores were observed. Most of the Pu has still remained in the 0-10 cm layers since its deposition. Convection velocities and dispersion coefficients for Pu migration in the soils were estimated by the convection-dispersion equation (CDE) model. The effective convection velocities and effective dispersion coefficients ranged from 0.05 to 0.11 cm/y and from 0.06 to 0.29 cm(2)/y, respectively. Other factors that control the vertical migration of Pu in soil besides precipitation, soil particle size distribution and organic matter were suggested. Long-term migration behaviors of Pu in the soils were simulated. The results provide the Pu background baseline for further environmental monitoring and source identification of non-global fallout Pu inputs in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenting Bu
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Research Center of Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Anagawa 4-9-1, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Jian Zheng
- Research Center of Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Anagawa 4-9-1, 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
- Research Center of Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Anagawa 4-9-1, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
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