Laboratory investigation into the potential effectiveness of soil-based countermeasures for soils contaminated with radiocaesium and radiostrontium
| Autor: | A.F. Nisbet, N. Mocanu, S. Shaw |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1994 |
| Předmět: |
Radionuclide
Environmental Engineering Potassium Potash chemistry.chemical_element Soil science Soil classification engineering.material complex mixtures Pollution chemistry.chemical_compound chemistry Environmental chemistry Loam Soil water engineering Environmental Chemistry Environmental science Ammonium Waste Management and Disposal Lime |
| Zdroj: | Science of The Total Environment. 149:145-154 |
| ISSN: | 0048-9697 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/0048-9697(94)90175-9 |
| Popis: | Accidental releases of radioactive material into the environment have prompted the search for effective soil-based chemical treatments to reduce the transfer of radiocaesium and radiostrontium along foodchains. As field studies can be impractical and protracted, a simple laboratory method has been evaluated for use after an accident to predict the effect that different soil treatments may have on radionuclide availability to plants. The study involved a batch equilibrium approach in which in situ conditions were replicated by the use of field moist soils and their associated soil solutions. The technique was used to investigate the effects of common agricultural treatments (potassium as sulphate of potash, calcium as garden lime and ammonium as ammonium sulphate) on the distribution of 137 Cs, 90 Sr, K and Ca between solid and liquid phases of loam, sand and peat soils. A treatment that decreased the 137 Cs + :K + or 90 Sr 2+ :Ca 2+ quotient in the liquid phase compared with controls could be considered a potentially effective countermeasure for reducing uptake of the appropriate radionuclide by plants. Potassium decreased 137 Cs + :K + quotients in the liquid phase of all soil types, and in peat in particular. The potential effectiveness of potassium as a soil based countermeasure for reducing radiocaesium uptake to plants in peat soils was supported by field evidence from highly organic soils in Cumbria. Application of the ammonium treatment increased 137 Cs + :K + quotients in the liquid phase of all soil types and in the sand in particular. As an increase in this ratio is associated with an enhanced uptake of radiocaesium by plants, the application of ammonium based fertilisers to soils contaminated with radiocaesium should therefore be considered very carefully. No firm conclusions could be reached regarding the effectiveness of garden lime as a countermeasure because of its low solubility and the very high calcium status of the experimental soils at the start of the experiment. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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