Lability of Uranium in a Mine-Impacted Wetland 70 Years after the Contamination
Understanding the behavior of contaminants in soils and their transport in water is crucial. This study focuses on the mobility of uranium (U) in a buried contaminated sediment layer, deposited in a wetland 70 years ago by the first U mining activities in France. U mobilization is kinetically limited in the contaminated layer with a small fraction of labile U as deduced from laboratory desorption-based studies and <i>in situ</i> studies performed by DET (Diffusive Equilibration in Thin films)/DGT (Diffusive Gradients in Thin films) passive sampler data monitored over time. The smart-<i>K</i><sub>d</sub> approach, combined with a comprehensive system characterization, identified this labile fraction as U(VI) primarily adsorbed on 2:1 clay minerals, which is in line with X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) data. The inert fraction was found to correspond to U minerals and adsorbed U(IV) and U(VI) species exhibiting desorption hysteresis. Combining laboratory and field studies, this multiscale approach allows to connect molecular processes to operational <i>K</i><sub>d</sub>(labile) parameters.
Authors
- A-L. Nivesse (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2078-2754)
- Thorsten Stumpf (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4505-3865)
- Frédéric Coppin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2281-1915)
- Frank Bok (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6885-2619)
- Thuro Arnold (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2775-3494)
- Catherine Landesman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5636-6034)
- Susanne Sachs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9097-9299)
- Andreas C. Scheinost (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6608-5428)
- Gilles Montavon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3049-0106)
- Alkiviadis Gourgiotis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5715-4022)
- Alexis Martín (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1793-3109)
- Mirella Del Nero (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4953-7250)
- P. Chardon
Institutions
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (FR)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (DE)
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (FR)
- Territoires (FR)
- Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules (FR)
- Clermont Université (FR)
- Autorité de sûreté nucléaire et de radioprotection (FR)
- Université de Strasbourg (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Published
- 2025-12-05
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c04144
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Radioactive element chemistry and processing
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.07