Influence of Radionuclides on Farmland Soil and Creek Sediment around a Uranium Mine in the Southwest of China

Abstract:

The farmland soil and creek sediments in different depth in the mining area were sampled, and their content of ²³⁸U,²²⁶Ra and ²³²Th were determined by gamma spectrometric method to assess the impact of the soil environment by single index method. The result shows ²³²Th was not influenced on soil in survey area. ²²⁶Ra influenced more seriously than ²³⁸U on farmland soil, meanwhile, the farmland soil at downstream of tailings dam was contaminated seriously by radionuclides than at other places. For creak sediments ,adit water resulted in more serious pollution by ²³⁸U than ²²⁶Ra, however, tailings erosion resulted in more serious pollution by ²²⁶Ra than ²³⁸U.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 455)
• Pages: 23-27
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.455.23
• Online since: November 2013
• Authors: Jun Wen Lv*, Qin Wen Deng, Yu Zhang
• Keywords: Creek Sediment, Farmland Soil, Influence, Radionuclide

References

[1] XU Lechang, WANG Yanxin, LV Junwen, et al. Radioactive contamination of the environment as a result of uranium production : a case study at the abandoned Lincang uranium mine, Yunnan Province, China[J]. SCIENCE IN CHINA(Series B), 2002, 43: 11-19.

DOI: 10.1007/bf02932202

[2] Lu Shuyu, environment impact assessment[M], Beijing, Higher Education Press, 2002: 56(in Chinese).

[3] Dube A, Zbytniewski R, Kowalkowski T, et al. Absorption and Migration of Heavy Metals in Soil[J]. Pol. J. Environ. Studies, 2001, 10(1): 1-10.

[4] Znker H, Ulrich K U, Opel K, et al. The Role of Colloids in Uranium Transport: A Comparison of Nuclear Waste Repositories and abandoned uranium mines, IMWA Symposium[C]. Italy: Water in mining Environments 2007: 127-131.

DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2006.06.1314

[5] Wan J M, Tokunaga T K, Kim Y, et al. Effect of saline waste solution infiltration rates on uranium retention and spatial distribution in Hanford sediments [J]. Environm. Sci. Tech., 2008, 42(6): 1973-1978.

DOI: 10.1021/es070684b

[6] Victor I Malkovsky, Alexander A Pek. Effect of elevated velocity of particles in groundwater flow and its role in colloid-facilitated transport of radionuclides in underground medium[J]. Transport Porous Medium. 2009, 78: 277-294.

DOI: 10.1007/s11242-008-9299-4

[7] MA Ai-jun, HE Ren-hong, ZHOU Li-xiang. Effects of Soil Colloids on the Transport of Napropamide Through Saturated Sandy Soils[J], Journal of Agro-Environment Science, 2009, 28(8): 1701-1704(in Chinese).

[8] Li Haiming, Zhang Nan, Tong Qi, et al. Deposition and release of different types of colloids in water-bearing media[J], Geotechnical Investigation ＆ Surveying, 2011（9）42-45. (in Chinese).

[9] Guo Qinghai, Wang Yanxin, Guo Huaming. Mobilization Mechanism and the Effect on Contaminants' Movement of Colloids in Groundwater[J], Geological Science and Technology Information, 2001, 20(3): 69-74(in Chinese).