Uptake of trace elements and radionuclides from uranium mill tailings by four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) and alkali sacaton (Sporobolus airoides). [Radium 226; Uranium; Molybdenum; Selenium; Vanadium; Astatine]

Conference · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:5859187

Dreesen, D R; Marple, M L

A greenhouse experiment was performed to determine the uptake of trace elements and radionuclides from uranium mill tailings by native plant species. Four-wing saltbush and alkali sacaton were grown in alkaline tailings covered with soil and in soil alone as controls. The tailings material was highly enriched in Ra-226, Mo, U, Se, V, and As compared with three local soils. The shrub grown in tailings had elevated concentrations of Mo, Se, Ra-226, U, As, and Na compared with the controls. Alkali sacaton contained high concentrations of Mo, Se, Ra-226, and Ni when grown on tailings. Molybdenum and selenium concentrations in plants grown in tailings are above levels reported to be toxic to grazing animals. These results indicate that the bioavailability of Mo and Se in alkaline environments makes these elements among the most hazardous contaminants present in uranium mill wastes.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos Scientific Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 5859187
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-79-3045; CONF-791140-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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ACTINIDES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ASTATINE
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONTAMINATION
DATA
DATA FORMS
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GRASS
HALOGENS
HEAVY NUCLEI
INFORMATION
ISOLATED VALUES
ISOTOPES
LEACHING
MASS TRANSFER
METALS
MILL TAILINGS
MOLYBDENUM
NONMETALS
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ORE PROCESSING
ORES
PLANTS
PROCESSING
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
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RADIUM 226
RADIUM ISOTOPES
REFRACTORY METALS
ROOT ABSORPTION
SELENIUM
SEMIMETALS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SHRUBS
SOILS
SOLID WASTES
TAILINGS
TRACE AMOUNTS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
UPTAKE
URANIUM
URANIUM ORES
VANADIUM
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES