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.; Jaffe, Peter R.

doi:10.1021/acs.est.5b02957

Uranium redistribution due to water table fluctuations in sandy wetland mesocosms

Journal Article · Tue Oct 20 04:00:00 EDT 2015 · Environmental Science and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b02957· OSTI ID:1243240

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

In order to better understand the fate and stability of immobilized uranium (U) in wetland sediments, and how intermittent dry periods affect U stability, we dosed saturated 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 XAS 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 re-wetting caused a redistribution of U downward in the soil profile and on to root surfaces. While 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 to root surfaces. Results show that short periods of drought conditions in a wetland, which expose reduced sediments to air, may impact U distribution, but these conditions may not cause large releases of soil-bound U from planted wetlands to surface waters.

Research Organization:: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US), Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

DOE Contract Number:: AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 1243240

Report Number(s):: PNNL-SA-112492; 48616; KP1704020

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)

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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