Biosorption of226Ra in high level natural radiation areas of Ramsar, Iran

Sequestration of Radionuclides Radium-226 and Strontium-90 by Cyanobacteria Forming Intracellular Calcium Carbonates

²²⁶Ra is a naturally occurring radionuclide with a half-life of 1600 years. In contrast, ⁹⁰Sr is a radionuclide of sole anthropogenic origin, produced by nuclear fission reactions and has a half-life of 29 years; each of these radionuclides poses potential threats to human and ecosystem health. Here, the cyanobacterium Gloeomargarita lithophora, capable of forming intracellular amorphous calcium carbonate inclusions, was investigated for its ability to uptake ²²⁶Ra and ⁹⁰Sr. In BG-11 medium, G. lithophora accumulated 3.9 μg g^-1 of ²²⁶Ra within 144 h and 47.9 ng g^-1 of ⁹⁰Sr within 1 h, corresponding to ∼99% removal of trace radionuclides. The presence of high-concentration Ca²⁺ in the background media solution did not inhibit ⁹⁰Sr and ²²⁶Ra uptake by G. lithophora. In contrast, dead biomass of G. lithophora accumulated 0.8 μg g^-1 of ²²⁶Ra and 8.87 ng g^-1 of ⁹⁰Sr. Moreover, Synechocystis, a nonbiomineralizing cyanobacteria, removed only 14 and 25% of ²²⁶Ra and ⁹⁰Sr, respectively. This suggested that sequestration of ⁹⁰Sr and ²²⁶Ra was not intrinsic to all cyanobacteria but was likely a specific biological trait of G. lithophora related to the formation of intracellular amorphous Ca-carbonates. The unique ability of G. lithophora to uptake ⁹⁰Sr and ²²⁶Ra at high rates makes it an attractive candidate for further studies involving bioremediation of these radionuclides.

Microbial communities in a former pilot-scale uranium mine in Eastern Finland - Association with radium immobilization

The bacterial, fungal and archaeal communities were characterized in 17 top soil organic and mineral layer samples and in top sediment samples of the Paukkajanvaara area, a former pilot-scale uranium mine, located in Eno, Eastern Finland, using amplicon sequencing and qPCR. Soil and sediment samples were in addition analyzed for radium (²²⁶Ra), sulfate (SO₄^2-), nitrate (NO₃^-) and phosphate (PO₄^3-) concentrations. New bacterial strains, representing Pseudomonas spp., were isolated from the mine and reference area and used in laboratory experiments on uptake and leaching of radium (Ra). The effect of these strains on the sulfate leaching from the soil samples was also tested in vitro. Between 6 × 10⁶ and 5 × 10⁸ copies g^-1 DW (dry weight) of bacterial 16S rRNA genes, 5 × 10⁵-1 × 10⁸ copies g^-1 DW archaeal 16S rRNA genes and 1 × 10⁵-1 × 10⁸ copies g^-1 DW fungal 5.8S rRNA genes were detected in the samples. A total of 814, 54 and 167 bacterial, archaeal and fungal genera, respectively, were identified. Proteobacteria, Euryarchaeota and Mortiriella were the dominant bacterial, archaeal and fungal phyla, respectively. All tested Pseudomonas spp. strains isolates from Paukkajanvaara removed Ra from the solution, but the amount of removed Ra depended on incubation conditions (temperature, time and nutrient broth). The highest removal of Ra (5320 L/kg DW) was observed by the Pseudomonas sp. strain T5-6-I at 37 °C. All Pseudomonas spp. strains decreased the release of Ra from soil with an average of 23% while simultaneously increasing the concentration of SO₄^2- in the solution by 11%. As Pseudomonas spp. were frequent in both the sequence data and the cultures, these bacteria may play an important role in the immobilization of Ra in the Paukkajanvaara mine area.

226Ra, 238U and Cd adsorption kinetics and binding capacity of two cyanobacterial strains isolated from highly radioactive springs and optimal conditions for maximal removal effects in contaminated water

Biomass-based decontamination methods are among the most interesting water treatment techniques. In this study, 2 cyanobacterial strains, Nostoc punctiforme A.S/S4 and Chroococcidiopsis thermalis S.M/S9, isolated from hot springs containing high concentrations of radium (²²⁶Ra), were studied to be associated with removal of radionuclides (²³⁸U and ²²⁶Ra) and heavy metal cadmium (Cd) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption equilibrium data was described by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Kinetic studies indicated that the sorption of 3 metals followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. Effects of biomass concentration, pH, contact time, and initial metal concentration on adsorption were also investigated. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed active binding sites on the cyanobacterial biomass. The obtained maximum biosorption capacities were 630 mg g^-1 and 37 kBq g^-1 for ²³⁸U and ²²⁶Ra for N. punctiforme and 730 mg g^-1 and 55 kBq g^-1 for C. thermalis. These 2 strains showed maximum binding capacity 160 and 225 mg g^-1, respectively for Cd adsorption. These results suggest that radioactivity resistant cyanobacteria could be employed as an efficient adsorbent for decontamination of multi-component, radioactive and industrial wastewater.

Total effective dose equivalent assessment after exposure to high-level natural radiation using the RESRAD code

The current work reports the activity concentrations of several natural radionuclides ((226)Ra, (232)Th, and (40)K) in Khak-Sefid area of Ramsar, Iran. An evaluation of total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) from exposure to high-level natural radiations is also presented. Soil samples were analyzed using a high-purity germanium detector with 80 % relative efficiency. The TEDE was calculated on a land area of 40,000 m(2) with 1.5-m thickness of contaminated zone for the member of three critical groups of farmer, construction worker, and resident using Residual Radioactive Material Guidelines (RESRAD) modeling program. It was found that the mean activity concentrations (in Bq/kg) were 23,118 ± 468, 25.8 ± 2.3, and 402.6 ± 16.5 for (226)Ra, (232)Th, and (40)K, respectively. The maximum calculated TEDE during 1,000 years was 107.1 mSv/year at year 90, 92.42 mSv/year at year 88, and 22.09 mSv/year at year 46 for farmer, resident, and construction worker scenarios, respectively. The maximum TEDE in farmer scenario can be reduced to the level below the dose limit of 1 mSv/year which is safe for public health using soil cover with thickness of 50 cm or more on the contaminated zone. According to RESRAD prediction, the TEDE received by individuals for all exposure scenarios considerably exceed the set dose limit, and it is mainly due to (226)Ra.

Sorption of (226)Ra from oil effluents onto synthetic cation exchangers

Increasing environmental awareness is being urged for the safe disposal of (226)Ra-contaminated production water generated in the oil industry. Birnessite, antimony silicate and their cationic derivatives were studied for the take-up of (226)Ra using the batch-type method under experimentally determined parameters, viz. contact time, solution-solid ratio and (226)Ra concentration. Data was expressed in terms of distribution coefficients. Sorption experiments were performed in different concentrations of nitric acid in order to speculate the mechanism of (226)Ra uptake. Variation in the magnitude of sorption efficiency of the materials in the presence of the major components of waste streams, i.e. Na(+), K(+) and Ca(2+), revealed that K(+) was the greatest competitor and Na(+) the least. The application of the materials to sorb (226)Ra from actual oil co-production water samples, collected from Der Ezzor and Al Fourat petroleum companies (DEZPC and AFPC), was interpreted in terms of the exchange properties of the materials and water characterisation. Of the parameters studied, the selectivity of materials was shown to be greatly dependent on the pH of wastewater to be treated.

Uptake of uranyl ions from uranium ores and sludges by means of Spirulina platensis, Porphyridium cruentum and Nostok linckia alga

In this paper was studied the uranyl ions biosorption on three types of alga: Nostok linckia, Porphyridium cruentum and Spirulina platensis. These ions were supplied either from a pure solution of uranyl nitrate, or after leaching process of uranium ore, or from the sludge resulting in the output of pure UO(2) technology. It was investigated the retention degree versus contact time and afterwards the Langmuir and Freundlich biosorption isotherms of uranyl ions on the three alga types. The retention of UO(2)(2+) ions on alga was proved through FTIR spectra plotted before and after biosorption processes. From the experimental data it was found that regardless of origin of uranyl ions, the retention degree on alga decreased in the series. Spirulina platensis > Porphyridium cruentum ≥ Nostok linckia.

Serratia sp. ZF03: an efficient radium biosorbent isolated from hot-spring waters in high background radiation areas

The aim of this study is to isolate and characterize (226)Ra biosorbing indigenous bacterial strains from soils and hot-springs containing high concentrations of (226)Ra by using biochemical and molecular approaches. Fifteen bacteria were isolated and their phylogenetic affiliations were determined based on their 16S rRNA gene and the two most relevant hypervariable regions of this gene; V3 and V6 analysis. A pigmented Serratia sp. ZF03 strain isolated from the water with (226)Ra content of 50471 mBq l(-1), caused 70% removal of (226)Ra at a radioactivity level of 50 Bq ml(-1), after 5 min and 75-80% in equilibrium time of 1 h, depending on the particular biosorption system and experimental conditions studied. The biosorption equilibrium was described by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Kinetic studies indicated that the biosorption follows pseudo-second-order kinetics. Effect of different physico-chemical parameters on (226)Ra sorption, FTIR, SEM and TEM analysis were also investigated.

Dynamics of transfer and distribution of 95Zr in the broadbean-soil ecosystem

The transfer and distribution of (95)Zr in a simulated broadbean-soil system was studied by using isotope-tracer techniques. The results showed that the (95)Zr was mainly concentrated in the haulm, pod and root, and the activity concentration of (95)Zr in these tissues reached the maximum in the initial stage then decreased continuously. The activity concentration of (95)Zr in edible part-bean was relatively lower, which was just near to the detection limit. The (95)Zr in soil was mainly (97%) deposited in surface layer soil (0-6 cm), indicating that the (95)Zr absorbed by surface soil could not be moved downwards easily because of the strong adsorption. The dynamics of (95)Zr concentrations in broadbean and soil were also confirmed by application of nonlinear regression method.