Uranium Redistribution Due to Water Table Fluctuations in Sandy Wetland Mesocosms

Gilson, Emily R.; Huang, Shan; Koster van Groos, Paul G.; Scheckel, Kirk G.; Qafoku, Odeta; Peacock, Aaron D.; Kaplan, Daniel I.; Jaffé, Peter R.

doi:10.1021/acs.est.5b02957

Uranium Redistribution Due to Water Table Fluctuations in Sandy Wetland Mesocosms

Journal Article · Fri Sep 25 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Environmental Science and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b02957· OSTI ID:1240184

Gilson, Emily R. ^[1]; Huang, Shan ^[1]; Koster van Groos, Paul G. ^[1]; Scheckel, Kirk G. ^[2]; Qafoku, Odeta ^[3]; Peacock, Aaron D. ^[4]; Kaplan, Daniel I. ^[5]; Jaffé, Peter R. ^[1]

Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)
U.S. EPA, Cincinnati, OH (United States)
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Pace Analytical Energy Services, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
Savannah River National Lab., Aiken, SC (United States)

To understand better the fate and stability of immobilized uranium (U) in wetland sediments, and how intermittent dry periods affect U stability, we dosed saturated sandy wetland mesocosms planted with Scirpus acutus with low levels of uranyl acetate for 4 months before imposing a short drying and rewetting period. Concentrations of U in mesocosm effluent increased after drying and rewetting, but the cumulative amount of U released following the dry period constituted less than 1% of the total U immobilized in the soil during the 4 months prior. This low level of remobilization suggests, and XANES analyses confirm, that microbial reduction was not the primary means of U immobilization, as the U immobilized in mesocosms was primarily U(VI) rather than U(IV). Drying followed by rewetting caused a redistribution of U downward in the soil profile and to root surfaces. Although the U on roots before drying was primarily associated with minerals, the U that relocated to the roots during drying and rewetting was bound diffusely. Here, the results show that short periods of drought conditions in a sandy wetland, which expose reduced sediments to air, may impact U distribution without causing large releases of soil-bound U to surface waters.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER) (SC-23)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-06CH11357; SC0006847

OSTI ID:: 1240184

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1243240

Journal Information:: Environmental Science and Technology, Journal Name: Environmental Science and Technology Journal Issue: 20 Vol. 49; ISSN 0013-936X

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: ENGLISH

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