Uranium fate in wetland mesocosms: Effects of plants at two iron loadings with different pH values.

Small-scale continuous flow wetland mesocosms (∼0.8 L) were used to evaluate how plant roots under different iron loadings affect uranium (U) mobility. When significant concentrations of ferrous iron (Fe) were present at circumneutral pH values, U concentrations in root exposed sediments were an order of magnitude greater than concentrations in root excluded sediments.

Spectroscopic evidence of uranium immobilization in acidic wetlands by natural organic matter and plant roots.

Biogeochemistry of uranium in wetlands plays important roles in U immobilization in storage ponds of U mining and processing facilities but has not been well understood. The objective of this work was to study molecular mechanisms responsible for high U retention by Savannah River Site (SRS) wetland sediments under varying redox and acidic (pH = 2.6-5.

Uranium immobilization in an iron-rich rhizosphere of a native wetland plant from the Savannah River Site under reducing conditions.

The hypothesis of this study was that iron plaques formed on the roots of wetland plants and their rhizospheres create environmental conditions favorable for iron reducing bacteria that promote the in situ immobilization of uranium. Greenhouse microcosm studies were conducted using native plants (Sparganium americanum) from a wetland located on the Savannah River Site, Aiken, SC. After iron plaques were established during a 73-day period by using an anoxic Fe(II)-rich nutrient solution, a U(VI) amended nutrient solution was added to the system for an additional two months.

Plutonium immobilization and remobilization by soil mineral and organic matter in the far-field of the Savannah River Site, U.S.

To study the effects of natural organic matter (NOM) on Pu sorption, Pu(IV) and (V) were amended at environmentally relevant concentrations (10(-14) M) to two soils of contrasting particulate NOM concentrations collected from the F-Area of the Savannah River Site. More Pu(IV) than (V) was bound to soil colloidal organic matter (COM). A de-ashed humic acid (i.

Examination of disinfection by-product (DBP) formation in source waters: a study using log-transformed differential spectra.

Formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in ten drinking source waters located in the United States was examined in this study. DBP generation was interpreted in the context of halogenation-induced changes of log-transformed absorbance spectra of dissolved organic matter (DOM) present in the waters. This approach allows probing the behavior of relatively minor structures that can be highly sensitive towards any process of interest, notably DOM halogenation.

Retention and chemical speciation of uranium in an oxidized wetland sediment from the Savannah River Site.

Uranium speciation and retention mechanisms onto Savannah River Site (SRS) wetland sediments was studied using batch (ad)sorption experiments, sequential extraction, U L3-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, fluorescence mapping and μ-XANES. Under oxidized conditions, U was highly retained by the SRS wetland sediments. In contrast to other similar but much lower natural organic matter (NOM) sediments, significant sorption of U onto the SRS sediments was observed at pH < 4 and pH > 8.

Modeling bromide effects on yields and speciation of dihaloacetonitriles formed in chlorinated drinking water.

This study examined effects of bromide on yields and speciation of dihaloacetonitrile (DHAN) species that included dichloro-, bromochloro- and dibromoacetonitriles generated in chlorinated water. Experimental data obtained using two water sources, varying concentrations and characters of Natural Organic Matter (NOM), bromide concentrations, reaction times, chlorine doses, temperatures and pHs were interpreted using a semi-phenomenological model that assumed the presence of three kinetically distinct sites in NOM (denoted as sites S1, S2 and S3) and the occurrence of sequential incorporation of bromine and chlorine into them. One site was found to react very fast with the chlorine and bromine but its contribution in the DHAN generation was very low.

Interaction of bisphenol A with dissolved organic matter in extractive and adsorptive removal processes.

The fate of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in natural and engineered systems is complicated due to their interactions with various water constituents. This study investigated the interaction of bisphenol A (BPA) with dissolved organic matter (DOM) and colloids present in surface water and secondary effluent as well as its adsorptive removal by powdered activated carbons. The solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) method followed by thermal desorption and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was utilized for determining the distribution of BPA molecules in water.

Strontium and cesium release mechanisms during unsaturated flow through waste-weathered Hanford sediments.

Leaching behavior of Sr and Cs in the vadose zone of Hanford site (Washington) was studied with laboratory-weathered sediments mimicking realistic conditions beneath the leaking radioactive waste storage tanks. Unsaturated column leaching experiments were conducted using background Hanford pore water focused on first 200 pore volumes. The weathered sediments were prepared by 6 months reaction with a synthetic Hanford tank waste leachate containing Sr and Cs (10(-5) and 10(-3) molal representative of LO- and HI-sediment, respectively) as surrogates for (90)Sr and (137)Cs.

Concentration-dependent mobility, retardation, and speciation of iodine in surface sediment from the Savannah River Site.

Iodine occurs in multiple oxidation states in aquatic systems in the form of organic and inorganic species. This feature leads to complex biogeochemical cycling of stable iodine and its long-lived isotope, (129)I. In this study, we investigated the sorption, transport, and interconversion of iodine species by comparing their mobility in groundwaters at ambient concentrations of iodine species (10(-8) to 10(-7) M) to those at artificially elevated concentrations (78.

Immobilization of 99-technetium (VII) by Fe(II)-goethite and limited reoxidation.

During the nuclear waste vitrification process volatilized (99)Tc will be trapped by melter off-gas scrubbers and then washed out into caustic solutions, and plans are currently being contemplated for the disposal of such secondary waste. Solutions containing pertechnetate [(99)Tc(VII)O(4)(-)] were mixed with precipitating goethite and dissolved Fe(II) to determine if an iron (oxy)hydroxide-based waste form can reduce Tc(VII) and isolate Tc(IV) from oxygen. The results of these experiments demonstrate that Fe(II) with goethite efficiently catalyzes the reduction of technetium in deionized water and complex solutions that mimic the chemical composition of caustic waste scrubber media.

The methods of identification, analysis, and removal of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in water.

The information regarding endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) was reviewed, including the definition and characteristics, the recent research trends concerning identification and analytical methods, and the applicable removal processes. EDCs include various types of natural and synthetic chemical compounds presenting the mimicking or inhibition of the reproductive action of the endocrine system in animals and humans. The ubiquitous presence with trace level concentrations and the wide diversity are the reported characteristics of EDCs.

Differential absorbance study of effects of temperature on chlorine consumption and formation of disinfection by-products in chlorinated water.

Effects of chlorine dose, reaction time and temperature on the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) and corresponding changes in the absorbance of natural organic matter (NOM) in chlorinated water were examined in this study. Although variations of chlorination parameters, notably those of temperature that was varied from 3 to 35 degrees C, influenced the kinetics of chlorine consumption and DBP release, correlations between chlorine consumption, concentrations of trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetonitriles (HANs), other DBP species and, on the other hand, intensity of differential absorbance at 272nm remained unaffected. THM and HAN speciation was correlated with the differential absorbance, indicating preferential incorporation of bromine at the initial phases of halogenation that correspond to low DeltaA(272) values.

Examination of NOM chlorination reactions by conventional and stop-flow differential absorbance spectroscopy.

Mechanisms of chlorination of natural organic matter (NOM) in surface water (Lake Washington) were explored via differential spectroscopy. Two types of differential spectra (overall and incremental) were generated for this water chlorinated at pH 7 using varying chlorine doses and reaction times. The differential spectra contain two kinetically and spectroscopically distinct components.

Structural study of the incorporation of heavy metals into solid phase formed during the oxidation of EDTA by permanganate at high pH.

Properties of solid phases formed during the oxidation of EDTA by permanganate in a high-pH, high-ionic strength solution, and the retention of Cu2+, Ni2+, and Zn2+ by them were examined. Morphologically, the solids were agglomerates of particles with sizes <100 nm. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) analysis indicated that these particles were birnessite.

Investigation of mechanisms of oxidation of EDTA and NTA by permanganate at high pH.

Permanganate has been used for oxidation of nuclear wastes containing chelating agents such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic and nitrilotriacetic acids (EDTA and NTA) to improve separation of radionuclides and heavy metals from the wastes, butthe mechanisms of degradation of these and related organic ligands at high pHs have not been studied. EDTA, NTA, and the model compound ethylenediamine (EN) were found to be readily oxidized by permanganate at pH 12-14. The reduction of permangante was accompanied by formation of unstable manganate and dispersed MnO2 particles, which constituted the final product of permanganate reduction.

Adsorption of uranyl on gibbsite: A time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy study.

Uranyl adsorbed on gibbsite at pH 4.0-8.0 and ionic strengths (ISs) 0.