Short review of plutonium applications for the sediment transport studies.

The transport of sediments in surface waters is a natural process involving the relocation of the sediments themselves and the nutrients, pollutants and radionuclides associated with them. Plutonium isotopes have proven to be a useful tool for studying this process over several decades. In this article, we review the characteristics of the behaviour of plutonium in the water column and the main directions of its use to study the transport of sediments at different scales. The characteristic isotopic fingerprints of the sources and their known input functions, as well as the good reactivity of the particles, favour the widespread use of plutonium for the study of the chronology of sediments and deposits and for studies of the fate and migration pathways of sediments at different scales. While other radionuclides are losing relevance due to the short half-life the 239Pu and 240Pu will remain useable for a long time.

Preparation of Graphene Oxide-Maghemite-Chitosan Composites for the Adsorption of Europium Ions from Aqueous Solutions.

The adsorption of Eu(III) on composites synthesised from graphene oxide (GO), maghemite (MGH), and chitosan (CS) has been studied using different approaches. The physicochemical and morphological characteristics of the composites GO-MGH, GO-CS, GO-MGH-CS I, II, and III were determined by XRD, Mössbauer spectroscopy, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and TEM. According to the results of batch experiments, the maximum experimental adsorption capacity was 52, 54, 25, 103, and 102 mg/g for GO-MGH, GO-CS, GO-MGH-CS I, II, and III, respectively. The data obtained are in better agreement with the Langmuir, pseudo-second-order, and pseudo-first-order models only for GO-MGH. Thus, the adsorption of Eu(III) on the composites was a favourable, monolayer, and occurred at homogeneous sites. The nature of adsorption is chemical and, in the case of GO-MGH, physical. Tests of the composites in natural waters showed a high removal efficiency for Eu(III), Pu(IV), and Am(III), ranging from 74 to 100%. The ANFIS model has quite good predictive ability, as shown by the values for R2, MSE, SSE, and ARE. The GO-MGH-CS composites with the high adsorption capacity could be promising candidates for the removal of Eu(III) and the pre-concentration of Pu(IV) and Am(III) from natural waters.

Seasonal variation and complex analysis of microplastic distribution in different WWTP treatment stages in Lithuania.

Industrial wastewater, domestic wastewater, and stormwater are the three entry points for microplastics (MP) in wastewater treatment plants. Extreme weather conditions, such as rising temperatures and heavy rainfall caused by climate change, can alter the rate at which MP enters wastewater treatment plants. In this study, wastewater and sludge samples from different treatment stages were collected during a 12-month sampling campaign (seasonal) to determine the efficiency of a municipal wastewater treatment plant in removing microplastic particles. MP ranging from 20 to 1000 µm were detected and classified by shape, color, size, and chemical composition. All samples contained MP particles, with concentration ranging from 1964 ± 50-2982 ± 54 MP/L in influent to 744 ± 13-1244 ± 21 MP/L in effluent and 91.1 ± 8-61.9 ± 5 MP/g in sludge; 71.6-90.1% identified particles were fragment-type with black, white, and transparent colors. Most of the microplastic particles were removed in the activated sludge tank, while the average removal rate in the wastewater treatment plant was 57%. The total concentration of MP was 27% higher in spring than in other seasons. The most common microplastic particles were polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), and polypropylene (PP). These results demonstrate the value of long-term monitoring and MP quantification, which would provide a more accurate estimate of MP pollution from wastewater treatment plants.

Adsorption of caesium and cobalt ions on the muscovite mica clay-graphene oxide-γ-Fe2O3-Fe3O4 composite.

The muscovite mica clay-graphene oxide-maghemite-magnetite (γ-Fe2O3-Fe3O4) composite was first used for the adsorption of caesium(I) and cobalt(II). The presence of clay minerals, graphene oxide, maghemite, and magnetite was detected in the prepared composite by XRD, WD-XRF, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and ATR-FTIR. The SEM and TEM results show that the composite has a layered structure with irregularly shaped pores on the surface. It was found that the adsorption of ions depends on the initial concentration, pH (except for caesium), mass of adsorbent, temperature, and contact time. The maximum adsorption capacity for Cs(I) and Co(II) was 2286 mg/g and 652 mg/g, respectively, and was obtained at concentrations (Cs(I) = 12,630 mg/L; Co(II) = 3200 mg/L), adsorbent mass of 0.01 g, pH (Cs(I) = 7; Co(II) = 5), temperature of 20 ± 1 °C, and contact time of 24 h. The high adsorption capacity of the composite could be due to a diversity of functional groups, a large number of active sites or the multilayer adsorption of caesium and cobalt ions on the surface of the composite. The Freundlich, Langmuir isotherms, and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model better describe the adsorption of these ions on the composite. The adsorption was non-spontaneous endothermic for Cs(I) and spontaneous endothermic for Co(II). The proposed mechanism of adsorption of Cs and Co ions on the composite is complex and involves electrostatic interactions and ion exchange. The ANFIS model proved to be quite effective in predicting the adsorption of Cs(I) and Co(II), as shown by the obtained values of R2, MSE, SSE, and ARE.

Distribution of 241Am and Pu isotopes in the Curonian Lagoon and the south-eastern Baltic Sea seawater, suspended particles, sediments and biota.

Distribution trends and temporal variations of 241Am and Pu isotopes in the south-eastern Baltic Sea during the study period of 1999-2001 and 2011-2015 were investigated with the aim to study temporal changes of radionuclide levels in seawater, suspended particles and sediment, to estimate 241Am and 239,240Pu levels in marine biota and to assess the radiation doses received by the biota. The activities of 241Am and 239,240Pu were measured by alpha spectrometry after radiochemical purification. 241Pu was determined radiometrically via the ingrown daughter 241Am after 10-12 years of storage, while the 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio of was measured by accelerator mass spectrometry. The 239,240Pu activities in suspended particles collected in the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea decreased by a factor of ∼3 during the study period, while they decreased about fourfold in the Curonian Lagoon. This could indicate a decrease in the influx of particles containing Pu isotopes into the Baltic Sea. While in the Curonian Lagoon, the 239,240Pu activities in the sediment samples varied insignificantly during the study periods, in the Baltic Sea, the maximum activity decreased by a factor of 6, and the mean/median values decreased by ∼4 times. The assessment tool ERICA was used to calculate the dose rates for biota. The total dose rate from all analysed radionuclides was <0.1 µGy/h, therefore no risk to organisms was identified.

Adsorption behaviour of pollutants: Heavy metals, radionuclides, organic pollutants, on clays and their minerals (raw, modified and treated): A review.

The increasing anthropogenic pressure results in environmental pollution and thus adversely affects the integrity of ecosystems. Consequently, various methods of removing pollutants from effluents have been developed and used to minimise this negative impact, with adsorption on clay minerals identified as the most promising approach. This review examines the adsorption of heavy metals, radionuclides, and organic pollutants on clays/clay minerals and their composites under diverse conditions and deals with the applications of these materials in the construction of engineering barriers for waste management. Additionally, we discuss the efficiency and mechanisms of pollutant adsorption on clays subjected to various treatments and modifications while describing the beneficial effects of such modification/treatment on adsorption performance, reusability, and in vivo/in vitro toxicity.

Initiation of radioecological monitoring of forest soils and plants at the Lithuanian border region before the start of the Belarusian nuclear power plant operation.

Knowledge of the background activity concentrations of anthropogenic radionuclides before the start of operation of the new nuclear power plant in Belarus, BelNPP, is an issue of great importance for neighbouring countries. In this study, we provide the pilot characterisation of the Lithuanian part of the 30-km zone of the BelNPP, emphasising the forest plants, terrestrial mosses, forest organic and mineral topsoil to describe the preoperational radioecological state of the pine forest ecosystem. Key anthropogenic radionuclides (14C, 3H, 137Cs and 239,240Pu) were analysed. The 14C specific activity varied from 97.80 ± 1.30 to 102.40 ± 0.79 pMC. The 3H specific activity in the tissue-free water tritium form varied from 13.2 ± 2.2 TU to 20.8 ± 2.3 TU, which corresponded to the 3H level of precipitation in this region. The activity concentrations of 239,240Pu in soil and moss samples did not exceed 1 Bq/kg and were mainly due to global fallout after nuclear tests. The 137Cs inventory in the pine forest soils of the Lithuanian part of the BelNPP 30-km zone varied from 930 ± 70 to 1650 ± 430 Bq/m2. High variation of the inventory and uneven distribution in the soil profile conditioned a wide range of 137Сs activity in terrestrial plants from 1.0 ± 0.5 to 40.5 ± 1.8 Bq/kg dry weight. The abundance of microorganisms in different seasons and soil depths do not exceed the natural levels. According to PCA loads, the number of microorganisms and variability of 137Cs specific activity is determined by soil abiotic parameters.

Kinetics of plutonium and americium sorption to natural clay.

Kinetics of Pu(IV) and Am(III) sorption from natural groundwater to three types of clays were studied at trace concentrations of the elements. Higher K(d) values were determined for sorption of Pu than of Am, and no clear dependence of the K(d) values and the kinetic coefficients on the composition of the clays can be deduced. Kinetic data evaluated by models for six different control processes indicated a sorption mechanism controlled by Pu or Am diffusion in the inert layer on the surface of the clays. Apart from the kinetics of the elements sorption, time-dependent changes in their bonding nature were also studied using a sequential extraction. It was found that Pu(IV) was predominantly associated with amorphous and crystalline Fe oxides as well as natural organic matter sites on the clays, whereas in the case of Am(III) the exchangeable and carbonate sites played the principal role.

A review on speciation of iodine-129 in the environmental and biological samples.

As a long-lived beta-emitting radioisotope of iodine, (129)I is produced both naturally and as a result of human nuclear activities. At present time, the main part of (129)I in the environment originates from the human nuclear activity, especially the releases from the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plants, the (129)I/(127)I ratios have being reached to values of 10(-10) to 10(-4) in the environment from 10(-12) in the pre-nuclear era. In this article, we review the occurrence, sources, inventory, and concentration level of (129)I in environment and the method for speciation analysis of (129)I in the environment. Measurement techniques for the determination of (129)I are presented and compared. An overview of applications of (129)I speciation in various scientific disciplines such as radiation protection, waste depository, and environmental sciences is given. In addition, the bioavailability and radiation toxicity (dose to thyroid) of (129)I are discussed.