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Uranium Budget and Leaching in Swiss Agricultural Systems

Bigalke, Moritz ; Imseng, Martin ; Schneider, Stephan ; Schwab, Lorenz ; Wiggenhauser, Matthias ; Keller, Armin ; Müller, Michael ; Frossard, Emmanuel ; Wilcke, Wolfgang (2022)
Uranium Budget and Leaching in Swiss Agricultural Systems.
In: Frontiers in Environmental Science, 2020, 8
doi: 10.26083/tuprints-00022540
Article, Secondary publication, Publisher's Version

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Item Type: Article
Type of entry: Secondary publication
Title: Uranium Budget and Leaching in Swiss Agricultural Systems
Language: English
Date: 2022
Place of Publication: Darmstadt
Year of primary publication: 2020
Publisher: Frontiers
Journal or Publication Title: Frontiers in Environmental Science
Volume of the journal: 8
Collation: 11 Seiten
DOI: 10.26083/tuprints-00022540
Corresponding Links:
Origin: Secondary publication service
Abstract:

Many mineral P fertilizers contain toxic uranium (U) in high concentrations. When the fertilizers are applied to agricultural sites, U can either accumulate in the soil or leach to ground and surface waters. We analyzed the U fluxes at three arable and three grassland agricultural sites on the Swiss plateau for 1 year. We calculated all inputs and outputs to the soils, modeled the speciation of U in the soil solution and investigated the possible leaching of U along preferential flow paths. We found that all sites showed positive U budgets (+0.9–6.6 g ha⁻¹ y⁻¹), indicating an accumulation of U. However, the accumulation of U was low and a doubling of U concentration in the surface soil would need 850–2,660 years assuming today’s U fluxes. Mineral P fertilizers were the quantitatively most important input, followed by manure application and mineral weathering (only important in the soils developed on limestone). While at sites with slightly acidic pH only little U (<0.01 µg L⁻¹) was leached, the U leaching increased at neutral pH values, because of the formation of carbonato-U complexes. In all soil solutions, the U concentrations (≤0.8 µg L⁻¹) were below legal threshold values and comparable to local drinking and surface waters. We found no indication for enhanced U leaching along preferential flow paths.

Uncontrolled Keywords: uranium, metal flux, metal leaching, agriculture, mineral P fertilizer
Status: Publisher's Version
URN: urn:nbn:de:tuda-tuprints-225401
Classification DDC: 500 Science and mathematics > 550 Earth sciences and geology
Divisions: 11 Department of Materials and Earth Sciences > Earth Science > Department of Soil Mineralogy and Soil Chemistry
Date Deposited: 11 Nov 2022 13:08
Last Modified: 28 Apr 2023 07:44
URI: https://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/id/eprint/22540
PPN: 507306295
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