Anthropogenic activities, such as ore mining and processing, nuclear power industry and weapon testing have generated depleted U (DU) contamination to soils and waters. The mobility and bioavailability of DU and redistribution were influenced by U sources, U speciation and plants species. The objectives of this study were to examine biogeochemistry of DU in soil and water in the army weapon testing site and to explore the feasibility of remediation in cleaning up DU polluted soils with various U sources.  Under arid conditions, both vertical transport driven by evaporation (upward) and leaching (downward) and horizontal transport of U driven by surface runoff in the summer were observed. Upward vertical transport was simulated and confirmed under laboratory-controlled conditions, leading to the surface due to capillary action via evaporation during alternating wetting and drying conditions.  In the field, the 92.8% of U from DU penetrators and fragments remained in the top 5 cm of soil and decreased to background concentrations in less than 20 cm. In locations prone to high amounts of water runoff, U concentrations were reduced significantly after 20 m from the source due to high surface runoff. Uranium was also transported throughout the ecosystem via plant uptake and wild animal consumption between trophic levels, but with limited accumulation in edible portions in plants and some animals. Finally we presented remediation of U contaminated soils and water with humic acid, leonardite, phytoremediation, and coupled electro-kinetic –phytoremediation etc.

Biogeochemistry of depleted uranium and its remediation in army weapon testing site

ACS Spring 2022

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