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Speciation of Actinides in the Environment

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Advances in Geochemistry, Analytical Chemistry, and Planetary Sciences

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The paper presents the data on the radionuclide disposition speciation and estimates their migration dynamics using the East-Urals Radioactive Trace (EURT) and groundwater disposal in the sedimentary formations of the Siberian Chemical Combine (SCK) and the Laptev Sea. The influence of microbiological transformation and bioaccumulation on the physicochemical species of actinides has been studied for samples of SHK. In the EURT soils, plutonium is mainly bound (up to 80%) with humic substances and organomineral part; americium - with fractions of mobile fulvic and low-molecular weight acids; neptunium content was below the detection limit, so the study was performed in model experiments with the addition of 237Np. The content of low molecular weight nonspecific compounds in soils increases in the series Np > Am > Corg > Pu for both chernozem and sod podzols soils. Compared to Pu, the higher content of Np and Am in the composition of low molecular weight nonspecific compounds causes their greater migration mobility in the environment. On the basis of leaching data in the exchangeable and mobile fractions a rather high amount of actinides was found, with their total content being lower than in the residue. Relative actinide content in mobile fractions decreases with decreasing colloidal particle size and increasing groundwater horizon depth. For soils and bottom sediments, the connection with colloidal matter decreases in the series: Pu  ≫ U ≫ Np. High sorption efficiency of biogenic mineral formations is shown. Maximum values of 238−240Pu in bottom sediments of the Laptev Sea, sampled from the upper horizons (0–2 cm), are confined to the mouth of the Khatanga River and Vilkitsky Strait. Isotope ratio 238Pu/239,240Pu corresponds to their ratio in products of global deposition. According to Tessier method, more than 30% of 239Pu is found in organic matter.

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Acknowledgements

This research is conducted under the GEOKHI RAS state assignment. The actinide luminescence research was supported by the grant of the Russian Science Foundation (project No 20-77-00092).

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  1. Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 19 Kosygin St., Moscow, 119991, Russia

    A. P. Novikov, T. A. Goryachenkova, A. V. Travkina & I. Yu. Myasnikov

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  1. A. P. Novikov
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  2. T. A. Goryachenkova
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  1. Vernadsky Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Vladimir P. Kolotov

  2. Vernadsky Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Natalia S. Bezaeva

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Novikov, A.P., Goryachenkova, T.A., Travkina, A.V., Myasnikov, I.Y. (2023). Speciation of Actinides in the Environment. In: Kolotov, V.P., Bezaeva, N.S. (eds) Advances in Geochemistry, Analytical Chemistry, and Planetary Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09883-3_42

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