Bioaccumulation of Tc, Pu, and Np on Bottom Sediments in Two Types of Freshwater Lakes

What is it about?

Bioaccumulation of Tc, Pu, and Np on Bottom Sediments in Two Types of Freshwater Lakes of the Moscow Oblast A laboratory study is made of Tc, Np, and Pu accumulation by natural and sterilized silts collected from two typical eutrophic and dystrophic lakes of the Moscow oblast. After a short inductive period (1-3 days), the rate of Tc uptake by the eutrophic lake silt is about twice that by the dystrophic lake silt (at a dry solid to liquid phase ratio of 0.033 g ml-1). The rate is only slightly temperature-dependent, being practically constant (at a level of about 3% per day) under certain conditions. The distribution coefficients after a month of contact were found to be 1700±50 and 56±5 ml g-1 for the eutrophic and dystrophic lake silts, respectively. Sulfate and nitrate have an inhibiting effect on the Tc uptake. Efficient desorption of Tc from bottom sediments can be realized only in the presence of an oxidant (H2O2), suggesting the reductive mechanism of Tc sorption on silts, complicated by either complexation with microorganism cell components or by intracellular deposition.

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Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Radioecology is a important item of or safety. The study of Bioaccumulation rates for radionuclides of Tc, Pu, and Np on Bottom Sediments give us the estimate of self-purification rate of the lake water bodies - for the Two Types of Freshwater Lakes of the Moscow Oblast

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