Uranium Speciation, Plant Uptake, and Phytoremediation
Publication: Practice Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Management
Volume 5, Issue 3
Abstract
Phytoremediation of uranium (U) contaminated soil has been hampered by a lack of information relating U speciation to plant uptake. The goals of the present study are to (1) provide fundamental information regarding uptake of U by plants; and (2) improve the phytoextraction of U from contaminated soil. The first was achieved through speciation modeling and hydroponic experiments that demonstrated that the uranyl cation is the chemical species of U most readily accumulated in plant shoots. A subsequent soil incubation experiment examined the solubilization of U from contaminated soil by synthetic chelates and organic acids. The results indicated that citric acid solubilized >100 times more U than the other amendments. The results of the hydroponic and soil experiments were then integrated in a study that grew red beets in U-contaminated soils amended with citric acid or N-hydroxylethylene diamine triacetic acid. Citric acid was again a highly effective amendment, increasing shoot U content by 14-fold compared to controls. In addition to providing fundamental information regarding the uptake of U by plants, this study illustrates the importance of basic research to phytoremediation.
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Published In
Practice Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Management
Volume 5 • Issue 3 • July 2001
Pages: 130 - 135
History
Received: Mar 22, 2001
Published online: Jul 1, 2001
Published in print: Jul 2001
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