90Sr and 137Cs radioisotopes and heavy metal concentrations in pharmaceutical herbal plants from the Lublin (Poland) region

Radioactivity of ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs in several species of herbs collected at Fajsawice and Góra Puawska located in Lublin (Poland) region was examined. Depending on the type of herb the radioactivity of strontium ranged from 0.004 to 1.808 Bq/kg dry weight whereas that from cesium varied from 0.053 to 9.853 Bq/kg. Calculated transfer factors of the radioisotopes in the plants studied revealed much stronger accumulation of strontium than cesium. Concentration of calcium and potassium in these plants has no influence on the concentration of measured radioisotopes.     

Sorption of cesium from water solutions on potassium nickel hexacyanoferrate-modified <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agaricus bisporus</Emphasis> mushroom biomass

In order to gain biosorbent that would have the ability to bind cesium ions from water solution effectively, potassium nickel hexacyanoferrate(II) (KNiFC) was incorporated into the mushroom biomass of Agaricus bisporus. Cesium sorption by KNIFC-modified A. bisporus biosorbent was observed in batch system, using radiotracer technique using ¹³⁷Cs radioisotope. Kinetic study showed that the cesium sorption was quite rapid and sorption equilibrium was attained within 1 h. Sorption kinetics of cesium was well described by pseudo-second order kinetics. Sorption equilibrium was the best described by Freundlich isotherm and the distribution coefficient was at interval 7,662–159 cm³ g⁻¹. Cesium sorption depended on initial pH of solution. Cesium sorption was very low at pH₀ 1.0–3.0. At initial pH 11.0, maximum sorption of cesium was found. Negative effect of monovalent (K⁺, Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺) and divalent (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺) cations on cesium sorption was observed. Desorption experiments showed that 0.1 M potassium chloride is the most suitable desorption agent but the complete desorption of cesium ions from KNiFC-modifed biosorbent was not achieved.     

Adsorption modeling of antimony(V) on diphenylthiocarbazone loaded polyurethane foam

The uptake behavior of Sb(V) onto diphenylthiocarbazone (H2DZ) loaded polyurethane foam (PUF) from aqueous solutions of different acids in the presence of KI have been studied. The maximum adsorption was found from 0.5N HNO₃ containing 0.2M KI. The maximum equilibrium was achieved within twenty minutes shaking time. The sorption behavior followed the Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms. The Freundlich constants 1/n and K_f are 0.57 and 3.26^.10^-2 mol^.g^-1, respectively. The Langmuir constants M and b are 2.18^.10^-4 mol^.g^-1 and 2.4^.10⁴ l^.g^-1, respectively. The value of sorption free energy (E) evaluated from D-R isotherm is 10.8 kJ^.mol^-1 indicating the ion exchange type chemisorption of Sb(V) on H2DZ loaded PUF. The thermodynamic parameters of enthalpy (H), entropy (S) and Gibbs free energy (G) have also been investigated and found to be -51.8 kJ^.mol^-1, -127.3 J^.mol^-1.deg^-1 and -13.8 kJ^.mol^-1, respectively. The negative values of (H) and (G) indicate that the sorption is exothermic and spontaneous in nature. The effect of anions and cations and sorption mechanism are discussed.     

Simulation of a 2-site Langmuir model for characterizing the sorption capacity of Cs and Se in crushed mudrock under various ionic strength effects

The sorption capacity of cesium (Cs) and selenium (Se) in crushed mudrock was demonstrated in this study through a 2-site Langmuir model. To employ such a numerical analysis, batch tests were applied in this study in synthetic seawater and groundwater with sorption/desorption kinetic experiments (time-dependent) and different concentrations (10^?2–10^?7 M). The 2-site sorption models, which correspond to two rate constants (λ ₁ and λ ₂), might be more adequate than 1-site sorption models in characterizing Cs and Se sorption/desorption according to the least square errors between the numerical analysis and the results of the batch tests. The fitting results showed that a 2-site Langmuir model is capable of appropriately describing Cs and Se sorption in mudrock. Consequently, the sorption capacity was calculated at about 0.06 mol/kg for Cs and at 0.015 mol/kg for Se.     

Ion exchange separation of different oxidation states of sulphur formed by35Cl(n,p)35S reaction in alkali halides

Cesium and potassium were determined in muscle-tissues of squid, dover sole, albacore, and bocaccio by NAA. Potassium was measured instrumentally, while cesium was radio-chemically separated. For the separation of cesium, hydrated antimony pentoxide (HAP) was used to retain²⁴Na, and ammonium molybdophosphate (AMP) was used to absorb quantitatively the radiocesium,^134mCs. The cesium and potassium contents were based on measuring the short-lived radionuclide of cesium, 2.90 h-^134mCs, and 12.4 h-⁴²K. The mean concentrations of cesium found, based on 3–4 replicate measurements for each fish, were: 4.18±0.32 ng/g squid, 11.51±0.30 ng/g dover sole, 43.64±1.03 ng/g albacore, and 56.85±3.61 ng/g bocaccio. The mean concentrations of potassium found were: 1.28±0.10 mg/g squid, 2.78±0.29 mg/g dover sole, 3.69±0.06 mg/g albacore, and 4.18±0.10 mg/g bocaccio.     

Plutonium and cesium isotopes in river waters in Japan

Concentrations of cesium isotopes and plutonium in river water samples in Japan, collected during the period from June 1985 to February 1987, have been measured. The total¹³⁷Cs concentrations in the Japanese river waters ranged from 0.063 to 1.89 mBq·l^–1. The portion of particulate¹³⁷Cs to total was observed to be less than 10 to 35%. The total^239,240Pu concentrations ranged from 0.56 to 1.93 Bq·l^–1. Particulate^239,240Pu occupied 13 to 95% of the total. After the Chernobyl fallout, elevated¹³⁷Cs concentrations were observed in the Japanese river waters as well as the detection of¹³⁴Cs, whereas there was no effect on the river plutonium from the Chernobyl fallout. The partition coefficients of¹³⁷Cs and plutonium between suspended particulate and dissolved phases in the Japanese rivers were determined: from 1.0·10⁴ to 3.2·10⁵ and from 4.1·10⁴ to 2.3·10⁶ for¹³⁷Cs and plutonium, respectively. The result suggests that these radionuclides, especially plutonium, are tightly associated with soil particles and/or suspended matter.     

Separation of cesium-137 from uranium fission products via a Neoflon® column supporting tetraphenylboron

Cesium is a member of the Group I alkali metals, very reactive earth metals that react vigorously with both air and water. The chemistry of cesium is much like the chemistry of neighboring elements on the periodic table, potassium and rubidium. This close relation creates many problems in plant-life exposed to cesium because it is so easily confused for potassium, an essential nutrient to plants. Radioactive ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs are also chemically akin to potassium and stable cesium. Uptake of these radioactive isotopes from groundwater by plant-life destroys the plant-life and can potentially expose humans to the radioactive affects of ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs. Much experimental work has been focused on the separation of ¹³⁷Cs from uranium fission products. In previous experimental work performed a column consisting of Kel-F supporting tetraphenylboron (TPB) was utilized to separate ¹³⁷Cs from uranium fission products. It is of interest at this time to attempt the separation of ¹³⁴Cs from 0.01M EDTA using the same method and Neoflon in the place of Kel-F as the inert support. The results of this experiment give a separation efficiency of 88% and show a linear relationship between the column bed length and the separation efficiency obtained.     

Sorption of the long-lived radionuclides cesium-134, strontium-85 and cobalt-60 on bentonite

The sorption of long-lived radionuclides of cesium, strontium and cobalt (¹³⁴Cs, ⁸⁵Sr and ⁶⁰Co) on bentonite under various experimental conditions, such as contact time, pH, sorbent and sorbate concentrations have been studied. The uptake of Cs and Sr was rapid and equilibrium was reached almost instantaneously in both the cases, while Co sorption was time dependent. The sorption of these nuclides increased by increasing pH. The uptake of Cs, Sr and Co increased with increasing the amount of the bentonite clay. The percentage sorption for Cs, Sr and Co decreased with increasing metal concentrations. The desorption studies with 0.01M CaCl₂ and ground water at low-metal loadings on bentonite showed that about 95% of Cs, 85-90% of Sr and 97% of Co were irreversibly sorbed. These results could be helpful for nuclear waste management, for waste water effluents containing low concentrations of cesium, strontium and cobalt.     

A radiochemical study on the thermodynamics of cesium adsorption on potassium copper nickel hexacyanoferrate(II) from aqueous solutions

This paper reports a radiochemical study on the themodynamics of cesium adsorption on potassium copper nickel hexacyanoferrate(II) (KCNF) using¹³⁴Cs radionuclide as a radiotracer. The values of themodynamic parameters like H ^o , S ^o and G ^o have been calculated using the temperature dependence of cesium adsorption on KCNF. These values indicate the endothermic nature of the adsorption process. Freundlich and Langmuir izotems have shown their applicability for the adsorption of cesium on KCNF at different temperatures and their corresponding constants have been calculated and interpreted. The Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) equation has also been applied to the adsorption data and the values of mean free energies of the adsorption process at different temperatures have been evaluated. These values indicate that the adsorption of cesium on KCNF is expected to follow an ion exchange process.     

Sorption characteristics of137Cs onto clay minerals: Effect of mineral structure and ionic strength

The sorption behavior of¹³⁷Cs onto kaolinite, bentonite, illite, and zeolite was studied at different ionic strengths of Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺. A significant effect of ionic strengths on the sorption has been observed. Clay minerals with 21 structure (bentonite, illite) showed much higher sorption than that of 11 structure (kaolinite). Zeolite showed high selectivity for¹³⁷Cs sorption. Sorption behavior of¹³⁷Cs on clay minerals can be explained by their surface charge characteristics originated from mineral structure.     

Uptake of134Cs by plants from three different types of soil

In¹³⁴Cs uptake by the roots of orchard grass and beans planted in three different lands of soil has been studied. For this purpose, a¹³⁴Cs radionuclide solution having 0.3086 Ci/pot radioactivity was added to Ando, Serpentine and Alluial and Clay soil which were fertilized by Standard, –K, +Ca, Water limited and Control for both orchard grass and bean groups. Thus, the above mentioned groups have been harvested and left to dry. The contamination levels these plants have been detected and measured by using an HPGe detector interactively working with MCA. Finally, it has been determined that the¹³⁴Cs uptakes depend primarily on soil characteristics. Besides the decrease in the¹³⁴Cs activity for the plants grown in soils to which the stable cesium or potassium was added 0.011–1.38 per cent activity for the root of plants grown in free K soils was observed. Moreover, highest¹³⁴Cs activity has been determined for the plants grown in –K fertilized soil with respect to the other soil samples.     

Determination of radioactivities of some species of higher fungi

The radioactivities of 26 samples of mushrooms (22 species) have been determined. These samples originated primarily from the park forest near Pestszentlrinc (Hungary). Samples were taken from different parts of the Pestszentlrinc forest including samples from pine, oak and acacia. Measurements included radionuclides such as⁴⁰K,¹³⁴Cs,¹³⁷Cs,^110mAg, total-beta and⁹⁰Sr. It was found that the uptake of cesium isotopes in mushrooms is higher than in green plants, and Macrolepiota species are especially suitable test organisms to detect the^110mAg isotope.     

Extraction of cesium in seawater off Japan using AMP-PAN resin and quantification via gamma spectroscopy and inductively coupled mass spectrometry

The March 2011 earthquake off the Japanese coast and subsequent tsunami that devastated the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant resulted in the largest accidental release of cesium 137 and 134 to the oceans. Seawater samples were collected in June 2011 from 30 to 600 km off the coast of Japan as part of initial mapping of the spread of contamination in the ocean. Cesium was extracted from unfiltered and filtered (<1.0 μm) seawater using an absorber based upon an organic polymer polyacrylonitrile (PAN) containing ammonium molybdophosphate (AMP) Sebesta and Stefula (J Radioanal Nucl Chem 140:15–21, 1990). The AMP-PAN resin can be counted directly using gamma spectroscopy for ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs. Stable ¹³³Cs was added to evaluate extraction efficiency and quantified by ICP-MS. Our 5 mL AMP-PAN resin column was on average 95 % efficient in the removal of cesium from 20 L samples at an average flow rate of 35 mL min^?1. Measured activities of ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs ranged from a few Bq m^?3 to >300 Bq m^?3. The extraction column can be adapted to different sample volumes and easily used in the field.     

Determination of <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs and <Superscript>85</Superscript>Sr transport parameters in fucoidic sand columns and groundwater system

The determination is based on the evaluation of experimentally obtained breakthrough curves using the erfc-function. The first method is founded on the assumption of a reversible linear sorption/desorption isotherm of radionuclides on solid phase with constant distribution and retardation coefficients, whereas the second one is based on the assumption of a reversible non-linear sorption/desorption isotherm described with the Freundlich equation, i.e., with non-constant distribution and retardation coefficients. Undisturbed cores of 5 cm in diameter and 10 cm long were embedded in the Eprosin-type cured epoxide resin column. In this study the so-called Cenomanian background groundwater was used as transport medium. The groundwater containing radionuclides was introduced at the bottom of the columns at about 4 mL h⁻¹ constant flow-rate. The results have shown that in the investigated fucoidic sands: (i) the sorption was in principle characterized by linear isotherms and the corresponding retardation coefficients of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁸⁵Sr, depending on the type of sample, were approximately 13 or 44 and 5 or 15, respectively; (ii) the desorption was characterized by non-linear isotherms, and the retardation coefficients of the same radionuclides ranged between 23–50 and 5–25, respectively. The values of the hydrodynamic dispersion coefficients of these radionuclides varied between 0.43–1.2 cm² h⁻¹.      

Migration of radiocesium in a zeolite-solution system

Some properties of natural zeolite from Zaloka gorica, Slovenia, Yugoslavia were investigated to establish its applicability in solidification and for storage purposes of radioactive waste. It was found that this material is a rather good sorber for cesium, with a capacity of about 0.6 meq g^–1. The migration rate of Cs⁺ in a system ion exchanger-aqueous solution was investigated and correlated with the sorption behaviour of cesium in a system. The leaching rate of cesium from concrete containing zeolite was measured.     

Determination of137Cs and134Cs radioisotopes in various mushrooms from Austria one year after the Chernobyl incident

Many mushrooms from Austria collected between May 25 and September 21, 1987 were analyzed for¹³⁷Cs and¹³⁴Cs by -spectroscopy one year after the reactor accident at Chernobyl. The following concentrations /nCi kg^–1 wet weight/ were found:¹³⁷Cs 0.4–43.2 nCi kg^–1,¹³⁴Cs 0.1–16.4 nCi kg^–1. The concentration of cesium isotopes in Cantharellus cibarius /Klagenfurt/ and Xerocomus badius /Upper-Austria, Mühlviertel/ were considerably higher than the tolerance level /5 nCi kg^–1/.     

Radiocesium concentration in milk after the Chernobyl accident in Japan

Radiocesium concentrations in cow's milk from two producing districts in Japan were measured monthly for three years following the Chernobyl accident. The Chernobyl contribution in¹³⁷Cs concentration was evaluated from the¹³⁴Cs concentration and the¹³⁷Cs/¹³⁴Cs ratio. The highest¹³⁷Cs concentration of 0.6 Bq l^–1 was observed in May 1986 and the Chernobyl contribution has decreased during three years to levels corresponding to the contribution from past nuclear weapons fallout. Annual values of child internal dose through milk consumption were estimated at 0.6, 0.3 and 0.1 Sv for the first, the second and the third year following the accident, respectively.     

Levels of cesium radionuclides in mosses in the eastern Black Sea area of Turkey

Moss samples collected from the eastern Black Sea about 6.5 years after the Chernobyl accident have been analyzed for radiocesium activity.¹³⁴Cs activity was also detected in all the samples beside¹³⁷Cs radionuclide. The levels of total cesium activity in the mosses proved that the coastal zone in the eastern Black Sea region was highly contaminated.     

Radon concentration in basements of old town buildings in the Lublin region, Poland

Radon concentration in basements of old buildings in the oldest towns of Lublin region (Zamo, Chelm and Sandomierz) was determined. Two techniques were applied: passive (Pico-rad) and alpha-spectrometry for radon progeny concentration measurement (SILENA). It was found that only 7% of results exceeded a dose limit of 400 Bq·m^-3, established for old buildings. Radon concentration levels ranged from 0.2 to 5150 Bq·m^-3. Distribution of the results satisfied a log-normal relationship. Applying these two methods at the same time, the radioactive equilibrium factor of radon and its progeny was determined. In the underground ways, open for visitors, no higher radon concentration was observed.     

Investigation of adsorption and vertical migration of137Cs in three kinds of soil at Lublin vicinity

The results of field, column and laboratory studies carried out on three types of mineral soils are encloses presented. Based on the field tests, average migration rates of¹³⁷Cs were calculated. The highest rate was found for the brown soil (FAO/UNESCO—Cambisol). Cesium migrated with the lowest rate in the podzol soil (FAO/UNESCO—Cambic Podzol). The column experiments confirmed the above observation. In laboratory tests the adsorption and desorption isotherms of Cs were determined on samples taken from 0–2 cm layers of each soil profile. It was found from the calculated partition coefficients that Cs is always irreversibly bonded to some extent, but it appears to be completely and irreversibly immobilized on the podzol soil. The permanent retention of cesium in the podzol soil was also confirmed by microcalorimetric studies. The desorption energy was negligibly small and amounted to −0.21 mJ/g. In the brown soil, containing prevailing amounts of loamy minerals, the desorption energy was found to be 106.89 mJ/g. The investigations are supplemented by the sorption kinetics measurements. These indicate that the adsorption equilibrium is reached after a dozen, up to twenty or so minutes.