Radionuclides in the Environment
Radionuclides in the Environment

Author: Clemens Walther

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-10-30

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 331922171X

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This book provides extensive and comprehensive information to researchers and academicians who are interested in radionuclide contamination, its sources and environmental impact. It is also useful for graduate and undergraduate students specializing in radioactive-waste disposal and its impact on natural as well as manmade environments. A number of sites are affected by large legacies of waste from the mining and processing of radioactive minerals. Over recent decades, several hundred radioactive isotopes (radioisotopes) of natural elements have been produced artificially, including 90Sr, 137Cs and 131I. Several other anthropogenic radioactive elements have also been produced in large quantities, for example technetium, neptunium, plutonium and americium, although plutonium does occur naturally in trace amounts in uranium ores. The deposition of radionuclides on vegetation and soil, as well as the uptake from polluted aquifers (root uptake or irrigation) are the initial point for their transfer into the terrestrial environment and into food chains. There are two principal deposition processes for the removal of pollutants from the atmosphere: dry deposition is the direct transfer through absorption of gases and particles by natural surfaces, such as vegetation, whereas showery or wet deposition is the transport of a substance from the atmosphere to the ground by snow, hail or rain. Once deposited on any vegetation, radionuclides are removed from plants by the airstre am and rain, either through percolation or by cuticular scratch. The increase in biomass during plant growth does not cause a loss of activity, but it does lead to a decrease in activity concentration due to effective dilution. There is also systemic transport (translocation) of radionuclides within the plant subsequent to foliar uptake, leading the transfer of chemical components to other parts of the plant that have not been contaminated directly.

Radionuclide Contamination and Remediation Through Plants
Radionuclide Contamination and Remediation Through Plants

Author: Dharmendra Kumar Gupta

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-07-14

Total Pages: 315

ISBN-13: 3319076655

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This book focuses on the mechanistic (microscopic) understanding of radionuclide uptake by plants in contaminated soils and potential use of phytoremediation. The key features concern radionuclide toxicity in plants, how the radioactive materials are absorbed by plants, and how the plants cope with the toxic responses. The respective chapters examine soil classification, natural plant selection, speciation of actinides, kinetic modeling, and case studies on cesium uptake after radiation accidents. Radionuclide contaminants pose serious problems for biological systems, due to their chemical toxicity and radiological effects. The processes by which radionuclides can be incorporated into vegetation can either originate from activity interception by external plant surfaces (either directly from the atmosphere or from resuspended material), or through uptake of radionuclides via the root system. Subsequent transfer of toxic elements to the human food chain is a concrete danger. Therefore, the molecular mechanisms and genetic basis of transport into and within plants needs to be understood for two reasons: The effectiveness of radionuclide uptake into crop plants – so-called transfer coefficient – is a prerequisite for the calculation of dose due to the food path. On the other hand, efficient radionuclide transfer into plants can be made use of for decontamination of land – so-called phytoremediation, the direct use of living, green plants for in situ removal of pollutants from the environment or to reduce their concentrations to harmless levels.

Behavior of Radionuclides in the Environment II
Behavior of Radionuclides in the Environment II

Author: Alexei Konoplev

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-05-19

Total Pages: 447

ISBN-13: 981153568X

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This is Volume II in a three-volume set on the Behavior of Radionuclides in the Environment, focusing on Chernobyl. Now, so many years after the Chernobyl accident, new data is emerging and important new findings are being made. The book reviews major research achievements concerning the behavior of Chernobyl-derived radionuclides, including their air transport and resuspension, mobility and bioavailability in the soil-water environment, vertical and lateral migration in soils and sediments, soil-to-plant and soil-to-animal transfer, and water-to-aqueous biota transfer. The long-term dynamics of radionuclides in aquatic ecosystems are also discussed, in particular, the heavily contaminated cooling pond of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which is in the process of being decommissioned. Lessons learned from long-term research on the environmental behavior of radionuclides can help us understand the pathways of environmental contamination, which, in turn, will allow us to improve methods for modeling and predicting the long-term effects of pollution. This book features a wealth of original data and findings, many of which have never been published before, or were not available internationally. The contributing authors are experts from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus with more than 30 years of experience investigating Chernobyl-derived radionuclides in the environment. The content presented here can help to predict the evolution of environmental contamination following a nuclear accident, and specifically the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident.

Radionuclide Behaviour in the Natural Environment
Radionuclide Behaviour in the Natural Environment

Author: Christophe Poinssot

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2012-09-20

Total Pages: 737

ISBN-13: 0857097199

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Understanding radionuclide behaviour in the natural environment is essential to the sustainable development of the nuclear industry and key to assessing potential environmental risks reliably. Minimising those risks is essential to enhancing public confidence in nuclear technology. Scientific knowledge in this field has developed greatly over the last decade.Radionuclide behaviour in the natural environment provides a comprehensive overview of the key processes and parameters affecting radionuclide mobility and migration.After an introductory chapter, part one explores radionuclide chemistry in the natural environment, including aquatic chemistry and the impact of natural organic matter and microorganisms. Part two discusses the migration and radioecological behavior of radionuclides. Topics include hydrogeology, sorption and colloidal reactions as well as in-situ investigations. Principles of modelling coupled geochemical, transport and radioecological properties are also discussed. Part three covers application issues: assessment of radionuclide behaviour in contaminated sites, taking Chernobyl as an example, estimation of radiological exposure to the population, performance assessment considerations related to deep geological repositories, and remediation concepts for contaminated sites.With its distinguished editors and international team of expert contributors, Radionuclide behaviour in the natural environment is an essential tool for all those interested or involved in nuclear energy, from researchers, designers and industrial operators to environmental scientists. It also provides a comprehensive guide for academics of all levels in this field. - Provides a comprehensive overview of the key processes and parameters affecting radionuclide mobility and migration - Explores radionuclide chemistry in the natural environment - Discusses the migration and radioecological behaviour of radionuclides

Behavior of Radionuclides in the Environment I
Behavior of Radionuclides in the Environment I

Author: Kenji Kato

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-02-18

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 9811506795

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The 3-volume set highlights the behavior of radionuclides in the environment and focusing on the development of related fields of study, including microbiology and nanoscience. In this context, it discusses the behavior of radionuclides released in areas of Lake Karachai in Ural, and those released as a result of Chernobyl accident (1986), and in Fukushima (2011). Volume I presents the experiences gained in South Urals (“Mayak” plant, Lake Karachai), providing a scientific basis for more precise understanding of the behavior of radionuclides in complex subsurface environments. On the basis of monitoring data, it examines the pathways of radionuclide migration and the influence of the geological environment and groundwater on the migration, with a particular focus on particles from the nanoscale to microscale. It also discusses the function of microbes and microscale particles, from their direct interaction with radionuclides to their ecological role in changing the physic-chemical condition of a given environment. Lastly, the protective properties of geological media are also characterized, and mathematical modeling of contaminant migration in the area of Lake Karachai is used to provide information regarding the migration of radionuclides.

Fish Physiology: Homeostasis and Toxicology of Essential Metals
Fish Physiology: Homeostasis and Toxicology of Essential Metals

Author:

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2011-06-28

Total Pages: 524

ISBN-13: 0123786371

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Homeostasis and Toxicology of Essential Metals synthesizes the explosion of new information on the molecular, cellular, and organismal handling of metals in fish in the past 15 years. These elements are no longer viewed by fish physiologists as "heavy metals" that kill fish by suffocation, but rather as interesting moieties that enter and leave fish by specific pathways, which are subject to physiological regulation. The metals featured in this volume are those about which there has been most public and scientific concern, and therefore are those most widely studied by fish researchers. Metals such as Cu, Zn, Fe, Ni, Co, Se, Mo and Cr are either proven to be or are strongly suspected to be essential in trace amounts, yet are toxic in higher doses. The companion volume, Homeostasis and Toxicology of Non-Essential Metals, Volume 31B, covers metals that have no known nutritive function in fish at present, but which are toxic at fairly low levels, such as Ag, Al, Cd, Pb, Hg, As, Sr, and U. In addition, three chapters in Volumes 31A and 31B on Basic Principles (Chapter 1, 31A), Field Studies and Ecological Integration (Chapter 9, 31A) and Modeling the Physiology and Toxicology of Metals (Chapter 9, 31B) act as integrative summaries and make these two volumes a vital set for readers. - All major essential metals of interest are covered in metal-specific chapters - Each metal-specific chapter is written by fish physiologists/toxicologists who are recognized authorities for that metal - A common format is featured throughout this two volume edition