scholarly journals Preliminary results of spatial distribution of uranium and thorium in soil profiles near a uranium industrial site, Guangdong province, China

Nukleonika ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 367-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Wang ◽  
Juan Liu ◽  
Yongheng Chen ◽  
Gang Song ◽  
Diyun Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Profile ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Background Level ◽  
Guangdong Province ◽  
Soil Profiles ◽  
Inductively Coupled ◽  
Mill Tailings ◽  
Mill Tailing ◽  
Tailing Dam ◽  
Local Background

Abstract Four soil profiles were collected from locations with different distances (5, 50, 250 and 1000 m) from a uranium mill tailings dam, Guangdong province, China, to investigate the pollution status of the soil in mining/milling-related areas based on the contents of uranium (U) and thorium (Th), thus to understand the impacts of uranium industrial activities to the surroundings. The U and Th concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after conventional HF-HNO3-HClO4 digestion procedures. The results indicate that the soils within 50 m from uranium tailing were severely contaminated; those in 250 and 1000 m soil samples were observed to be with local background level even though these in 250 m had slightly higher U/Th ratios. Uranium concentrations varied from 5.50 ± 0.27 to 160.55 ± 8.03 mg/kg, with maximum values recorded in an intermediate layer of the 5-m distance soil profile. In comparison, the concentration of Th ranged from 6.02 ± 0.30 to 84.71 ± 4.24 mg/kg, with maximum values observed in the top layer of the 1000-m distance soil profile. The U/Th ratio varied from 0.15 to 11.99 compared with 0.20, 0.22 and 0.26 of the average for Guangdong province, national China and the world, respectively. The mean U/Th of four soil profiles showed a reduction with distance from the uranium mill tailing dam, suggesting the relatively large magnitude of uranium elevation in soils within limited distances.

Trees as sensors of metallic pollution dissemination during past flood events

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annick Delapierre ◽  
Juan Antonio Ballesteros Canovas ◽  
Jorge Buzzi ◽  
Markus Stoffel ◽  
Vera I Slaveykova
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Flood Events ◽  
Inductively Coupled ◽  
Odiel River ◽  
Tailing Dam ◽  
Plasma Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Western Spain ◽  
Major Floods

<p>Anthropogenic activities such as mining are responsible for acid drainage and metal-enriched waters that in turn contaminate river ecosystem downstream due to the weathering of exposed minerals or tailing dam failures. The release of heavy metals is especially disturbing because of their high toxicity and long permanence. Detecting highly polluted areas and their links with high (low) water flow stages can contribute to a better land management of affected areas. Here, we test if trees growing in different geomorphic positions along a river record heavy metal uptake during past floods. To this end, we applied dendrochemical analysis to twenty-five <em>Pinus pinaster</em> Ait. growing on the banks of Odiel River flowing into the Atlantic Ocean located at in south-western Spain. In addition, five trees disconnected from the river channel were sampled as references values. For each tree, we extracted 1 cm-sized increment cores. After dating dendrochronologically, we isolated tree-ring sequences into 5-year blocks matching with the dates of major floods in the catchments. Samples were then analyzed using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Our results suggest coherence between tree locations and the amount of heavy metal accumulated in the tree over the last decades. Thus, we clearly show a control of river morphological units on the  heavy metal concentrations in trees, being higher in those trees located on meander cut banks than in trees on point-bar sedimentary structures. We conclude that trees could be a natural proxy to trace chemical dispersion and pollution related to flood events in highly anthropogenic catchments.</p>

Line Broadening and Radiative Recombination Background Interferences in Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy

1979 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 592-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. F. Larson ◽  
V. A. Fassel
Keyword(s):  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Background Level ◽  
Atomic Emission ◽  
Solution Concentration ◽  
Small Degree ◽  
Stray Light ◽  
Line Center ◽  
Line Broadening ◽  
Electron Recombination ◽  
Inductively Coupled

Spectral line broadening and radiative electron-ion recombination processes may make significant contributions to the total spectral background level when inductively coupled plasma excitation sources are observed with spectrometers having low stray light levels. These background contributions are more easily identified in inductively coupled plasma discharges because of their stable background level and by the fact that net analyte line intensities are affected to such a small degree by changes in the concentration of concomitants. The wings of collisionally broadened lines may produce significant background changes at wavelengths removed 10 nm from the parent line center. For some elements such as Mg, linear Stark-broadened lines produced spectral background at unexpectedly large displacements from the line center. The radiative Al ion-electron recombination continuum produces a greater than tenfold increase in the background from ∼210 down to 193 nm at Al solution concentration of 2500 μg/ml. Thus, a solution containing only 250 μg/ml of Al will cause an ∼100% increase in the background level below 210 nm over that measured when deionized water is nebulized into the plasma.

KARAKTERISTIK TANAH DAN PERBANDINGAN PRODUKSI KELAPA SAWIT (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) DENGAN METODE TANAM LUBANG BESAR DAN PARIT DRAINASE 2:1 PADA LAHAN SPODOSOL DI KABUPATEN BARITO TIMUR PROPINSI KALIMANTAN TENGAH - INDONESIA

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-158
Author(s):  
Surianto
Keyword(s):  
Soil Texture ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Soil Profile ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Exchangeable Cations ◽  
Soil Horizon ◽  
Soil Profiles ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Hole Profile ◽  
And Chemical Properties

Spodosol soil of Typic Placorthod sub-group of East Barito District is one of the problem soils with the presence of hardpan layer, low fertility, low water holding capacity, acid reaction and it is not suitable for oil palm cultivation without any properly specific management of land preparation and implemented best agronomic practices. A study was carried out to evaluate the soil characteristic of a big hole (A profile) and no big hole (B profile) system and comparative oil palm productivity among two planting systems. This study was conducted in Spodosol soil at oil palm plantation (coordinate X = 0281843 and Y = 9764116), East Barito District, Central Kalimantan Province on February 2014, by surveying of placic and ortstein depth and observing soil texture and chemical properties of 2 (two) oil palm's soil profiles that have been planted in five years. Big hole system of commercial oil palm field planting on the Spodosol soil area was designed for the specific purpose of minimizing the potential of a negative effect of shallow effective planting depth for oil palms growing due to the hardpan layer (placic and ortstein) presence as deep as 0.25 - 0.50 m. The big hole system is a planting hole type which was vertical-sided with 2.00 m x 1.50 m on top and bottom side and 3.00 m depth meanwhile the 2:1 drain was vertical-sided also with 1.50 m depth and 300 m length. Oil palm production was recorded from the year 2012 up to 2014. Results indicated that the fractions both big hole profile (A profile) and no big hole profile (B profile) were dominated by sands ranged from 60% to 92% and the highest sands content of non-big hole soil profile were found in A and E horizons (92%). Better distribution of sand and clay fractions content in between layers of big hole soil profiles of A profile sample is more uniform compared to the B profile sample. The mechanical holing and material mixing of soil materials of A soil profile among the upper and lower horizons i.e. A, E, B and C horizons before planting that resulted a better distribution of both soil texture (sands and clay) and chemical properties such as acidity value (pH), C-organic, N, C/N ratio, CEC, P-available and Exchangeable Bases. Investigation showed that exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg, K), were very low in soil layers (A profile) and horizons (B profile) investigated. The low exchangeable cations due to highly leached of bases to the lower layers and horizons. Besides, the palm which was planted on the big hole system showed good adaptation and response positively by growing well of tertiary and quaternary roots that the roots were penetrable into deeper rooting zone as much as >1.00 m depth. The roots can grow well and penetrate much deeper in A profile compared to the undisturbed hardpan layer (B profile). The FFB (fresh fruit bunches) production of the non-big hole block was higher than the big hole block for the first three years of production. This might be due to the high variation of monthly rainfall in-between years of observation from 2009 to 2014. Therefore, the hardness of placic and ortstein as unpenetrable agents by roots and water to prevent water loss and retain the water in the rhizosphere especially in the drier weather. In the high rainfall condition, the 2:1 drain to prevent water saturation in the oil palm rhizosphere by moving some water into the drain. Meanwhile, the disturbed soil horizon (big hole area) was drier than un disturbance immediately due to water removal to deeper layers. We concluded that both big hole and 2:1 drain are a suitable technology for Spodosol soil land especially in preparing palms planting to minimize the negative effect of the hardpan layer for oil palm growth.

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