Effect of Concentration on Sorption of Dissolved Organics by PVC, PTFE, and Stainless Steel Well Casings

This report examines sorption of low ppb levels of organic solutions by polytetra- fluoroethylene (PTFE), rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and stainless steel 304 and 316 well casings. Nineteen organics were selected, including several munitions and chlorinated solvents. Compounds were selected to offer a range of physical properties, such as solubility in water, octanol/water partition coefficient, and molecular structure. When these results were compared with the results from a similar study conducted at ppm levels, the rate and extent of sorption by PTFE and PVC were the same as seen previously for almost all analytes. There were no losses of any compounds associated with stainless steel. At these low levels (ppm and ppb), the rate of diffusion within the polymer (PVC and PTFE) is independent of concentration. Only with PTFE are the rates rapid enough to be of concern when monitoring for some contaminants in ground water. Tetrachloroethylene was the compound PTFE sorbed the most rapidly. The study showed that PVC well casings are suitable for monitoring low levels (ppm and ppb) of organics.     

Influence of Casing Materials on Trace-Level Chemicals in Well Water

Four well casing materials — polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and stainless steel 304 (SS 304) and 316 (SS 316) — were examined to determine their suitability for monitoring inorganic and organic constituents in well water.
The inorganic study used a factorial design to test the effect of concentration of mixed metals (arsenic [As], chromium [Cr], lead [Pb], and cadmium [Cd]), pH, and organic carbon. Sample times were 0.5, 4, 8, 24, and 72 hours. Except for slow loss of Pb, PTFE well casings had no significant effect on the concentration of metals in solution. For the other casings, changes in analyte concentration often exceeded 10 percent in eight hours or less and, thus, could bias analyses of samples taken from wells constructed with these materials. Specifically, PVC casings sorbed Pb and leached Cd; SS 316 casings sorbed As and Pb and leached Cd; and SS 304 casings sorbed As, Cr, and Pb and leached Cd. Both stainless steel casing materials showed markedly poorer performance than the PVC casings.
The well casings were also tested for sorption/desorption of 10 organic substances from the following classes: chlorinated alkehes, chlorinated aromatics, nitroaromatics and nitramines. Sample times were 0, 1, 8, 24, and 72 hours, seven days, and six weeks. There were no detectable losses of analytes in any of the sample solutions containing stainless steel well casings. Significant loss of some analytes was observed in sample solutions containing plastic casings, although losses were always more rapid with the PTFE casings than with PVC. Chlorinated organic substances were lost most rapidly. For samples containing PTFE casings, losses of some of these compounds were rapid enough (>10 percent in eight hours) to be of concern for ground water monitoring. Losses of hydrophobic organic constituents in samples containing PTFE casings were correlated with the compound's octanol/water partition coefficient.     

Decontaminating Materials Used in Ground Water Sampling Devices: Organic Contaminants

In these studies, the efficiency of various decontamination protocols was tested on small pieces of materials commonly used in ground water sampling devices. Three materials, which ranged in ability to sorb organic solutes, were tested: stainless steel (SS), rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The test pieces were exposed to two aqueous test solutions: One contained three volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and one nitroaromatic compound, and the other contained four pesticides. Also, three types of polymeric tubing were exposed to pesticide solutions. Generally, the contact times were 10 minutes and 24 hours for sorption and desorption.
The contaminants were removed from the nonpermeable SS and the less-sorptive rigid PVC test pieces simply by washing with a hot detergent solution and rinsing with hot water. Additional treatment was required for the PTFE test pieces exposed to the VOCs and for the low-density polyethylene (LDPE) tubing exposed to the pesticide test solution. Solvent rinsing did not improve removal of the three VOCs from the PTFE and only marginally improved removal of the residual pesticides from the LDPE. However, a hot water and detergent wash and rinse followed by oven drying at approximately 105°C was effective for removing the VOCs from the PTFE and substantially reduced pesticide contamination from the LDPE.     

Potential of Common Well Casing Materials to Influence Aqueous Metal Concentrations

Static leaching and sorption laboratory studies were performed to assess the potential of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and two types of stainless steel (SS 304 and SS 316) well casing materials to influence metal concentrations in ground water solutions with low dissolved oxygen. Overall, PTFE was inert, whereas one or both stainless steels significantly altered the solution concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Fe, and Ni. PVC was generally more reactive than PTFE, but did not significantly alter the solution metal concentrations as often, or as greatly, as either of the stainless casings.     

Competitive sorption of persistent organic pollutants onto microplastics in the marine environment

Plastics are known to sorb persistent organic pollutants from seawater. However, studies to quantify sorption rates have only considered the affinity of chemicals in isolation, unlike the conditions in the environment where contaminants are present as complex mixtures. Here we examine whether phenanthrene and 4,4′-DDT, in a mixture, compete for sorption sites onto PVC with no added additives (unplasticised PVC or uPVC) and Ultra-High Molecular Weight polyethylene. Interactions were investigated by exposing particles of uPVC and UHMW PE to mixtures of 3H and 14C radiolabelled Phe and DDT. Changes in sorption capacity were modelled by applying a Freundlich binding sorption isotherms. An Extended Langmuir Model and an Interaction Factor Model were also applied to predict equilibrium concentrations of pollutants onto plastic. This study showed that in a bi-solute system, DDT exhibited no significantly different sorption behaviour than in single solute systems. However, DDT did appear to interfere with the sorption of Phe onto plastic, indicating an antagonistic effect.     

Comparison of Fiberglass and Other Polymeric Well Casings, Part III. Sorption and Leaching of Trace-Level Metals

This series of experiments was initiated to determine the overall suitability of three alternative polymeric well casing materials (fluorinated ethylene propylene [FEP], fiberglass-reinforced epoxy [FRE], and fiberglass-reinforced plastic [FRP]) for use in ground water monitoring wells and to compare these materials with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) well casings. This paper focuses on sorption and leaching of metals.
Generally, the fiberglass materials leached more metal contaminants than PVC, FEP, and PTFE. However, with one exception (Pb leaching from FRP), leached concentrations were below maximum allowable limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for drinking water. With respect to sorption, none of the polymers sorbed the anions tested, but all of them sorbed one or more of the cations tested. FEP and PTFE were much less sorptive than the other materials.     

Parametric studies on confinement of radionuclides in the excavated damaged zone due to bentonite type and temperature change

A parametric study is presented in this paper in order to examine the potential of the extruding bentonite into a fracture in the EDZ to confine radionuclides. Radionuclide migration of cesium and neptunium were studied at elevated temperatures and for a sodium- and calcium-type bentonite. Parameter values were obtained based on empirical studies for hydraulic conductivity, molecular diffusion, and sorption. Results indicate extrusion speed is affected by temperature changes. Elevated temperatures also affect radionuclide migration. For Cs, migration is enhanced due to decreasing sorption, while Np migration is inhibited due to increasing sorption. The potential to confine radionuclides is favorable, and the choice of bentonite does not seem to affect radionuclide confinement in the extruding region.     

Effect of Various Materials in Multilevel Samplers on Monitoring Commonly Occurring Agrichemicals in Ground Water

Studies have shown that materials, such us polytetra-fluoroethylene (PTFE), rigid polyvinyl chloride (rigid PVC). flexible polyvinyl chloride (flexible PVC), stainless steel (SS). low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and high-density polyethylene (HDPE), have the potential to influence certain analyte concentrations in ground water samples. The effects of HDPE, LDPE, PTFE, rigid PVC, and SS on aqueous concentrations of nitrate-N, atrazine, deethylatrazine (DEA), and deisopropylatrazine (DIA) were evaluated in a field study A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate sorption of atrazine DEA, DIA, cyanazine, alachlor, metolachlor, and butachlor to PTFE, HDPE, and SS materials. Butachlor is rarely use in the United States, but was included because of its expected high sorptivity. No significant differences between HDPE, LDPE, PTFE, rigid PVC, and SS were determined for any of the analytes tested in the field study. In the laboratory study, sorption of DIA to PTFE and SS was significant at 2.6 × 10⁻⁵ and 4.1 × 10⁻⁵μg/m² respectively. Sorption of DIAA to HDPE was not significantly > 0 sorption of all other compounds to HDPE, PTFE, and SS were also not significantly >0. Results of the two studies indicate that for these analytes (relatively polar or ionized compounds), representative ground water samples are not dependent on the materials used for multilevel sampler construction. When considering these compounds, it appears that the least expensive materials (HDPE, rigid PVC, and LDPE) are good choices for the construction of ground water monitoring wells.     

Concentration of selected radionuclides in seawater from Kuwait

No baseline existed for the radionuclides in Kuwait territorial water. With changing trend in the region to embrace nuclear energy, the baseline study is imperative to create a reference and to record the influence-functioning of upcoming power plants. The first one in Bushehr, Iran is ready to start and several more are likely to come-up in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The present baseline concentration of the four considered radionuclide's show low concentration of tritium, polonium, strontium and cesium; their concentration is comparable to most oceanic waters.     

Contaminant transport in a fracture with spatially variable aperture in the presence of monodisperse and polydisperse colloids

A quasi-three-dimensional particle tracking model is developed to characterize the spatial and temporal effects of advection, molecular diffusion, Taylor dispersion, fracture wall deposition, matrix diffusion, and co-transport processes on two discrete plumes (suspended monodisperse or polydisperse colloids and dissolved contaminants) flowing through a variable aperture fracture situated in a porous medium. Contaminants travel by advection and diffusion and may sorb onto fracture walls and colloid particles, as well as diffuse into and sorb onto the surrounding porous rock matrix. A kinetic isotherm describes contaminant sorption onto colloids and sorbed contaminants assume the unique transport properties of colloids. Sorption of the contaminants that have diffused into the matrix is governed by a first-order kinetic reaction. Colloids travel by advection and diffusion and may attach onto fracture walls; however, they do not penetrate the rock matrix. A probabilistic form of the Boltzmann law describes filtration of both colloids and contaminants on fracture walls. Ensemble-averaged breakthrough curves of many fracture realizations are used to compare arrival times of colloid and contaminant plumes at the fracture outlet. Results show that the presence of colloids enhances contaminant transport (decreased residence times) while matrix diffusion and sorption onto fracture walls retard the transport of contaminants. Model simulations with the polydisperse colloids show increased effects of co-transport processes.     

Analysis of Radionuclide Releases from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident Part II

The present part of the publication (Part II) deals with long range dispersion of radionuclides emitted into the atmosphere during the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident that occurred after the March 11, 2011 tsunami. The first part (Part I) is dedicated to the accident features relying on radionuclide detections performed by monitoring stations of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization network. In this study, the emissions of the three fission products Cs-137, I-131 and Xe-133 are investigated. Regarding Xe-133, the total release is estimated to be of the order of 6 × 10¹⁸ Bq emitted during the explosions of units 1, 2 and 3. The total source term estimated gives a fraction of core inventory of about 8 × 10¹⁸ Bq at the time of reactors shutdown. This result suggests that at least 80 % of the core inventory has been released into the atmosphere and indicates a broad meltdown of reactor cores. Total atmospheric releases of Cs-137 and I-131 aerosols are estimated to be 10¹⁶ and 10¹⁷ Bq, respectively. By neglecting gas/particulate conversion phenomena, the total release of I-131 (gas + aerosol) could be estimated to be 4 × 10¹⁷ Bq. Atmospheric transport simulations suggest that the main air emissions have occurred during the events of March 14, 2011 (UTC) and that no major release occurred after March 23. The radioactivity emitted into the atmosphere could represent 10 % of the Chernobyl accident releases for I-131 and Cs-137.     

Assessment of the historical trace metal contamination of sediments in the Elizabeth River, Virginia

Two sediment cores (Southern Branch, PC-1, and Western Branch, WB-2) were taken from the highly industrialized Elizabeth River, Virginia. The concentrations of trace metals cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc, major elements iron, manganese and aluminum, organic carbon content and the specific surface area of the sediments were determined in each of the cores. Down-core variations in metals varied significantly in each core with maximum contamination events occurring at different times in different portions of the river. In PC-1, maximum metal concentrations were seen after the appearance of (137)Cs. In contrast, the highest levels in WB-2 occurred well before the appearance of (137)Cs. Although stricter environmental regulations have caused a decrease in metal concentrations since the 1980s, the concentrations in the surface sediments of many trace metals were elevated to levels 2-5 times higher than the levels at the bottom of the cores in both the Southern and Western Branches of the river.     

Sampling Trace-Level Organic Solutes with Polymeric Tubing Part I. Static Studies

Twenty polymeric tubings were filled with a test solution containing eight organic solutes. The test solutions were monitored for losses, indicating that sorption had occurred, and for signs that leaching of organic constituents had occurred. The tubings tested included seven flexible products and eight fluoropolymers. Among the rigid tubings tested, three fluoropolymers (fluorinated ethylene propylene [FEP], FEP-lined polyethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride) were the least sorptive tubings. However, even these tubings readily sorbed some of the analytes. Among the flexible tubings tested, a fluoroelastomer tubing and a tubing made of a copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene were the least sorptive.
Several of the tubings tested leached constituents into the test solution. The polyurethane, polyamide, flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyester-lined PVC, and silicone-modified thermoplastic elastomer tubings were found to leach the most constituents. We were unable to detect any constituents leaching from the polyethylene tubings, the rigid fluoropolymer tubings, and one of the plasticized polypropylene tubings.     

Sorption of radioactive contaminants by sediment from the Kara Sea

The purpose of this study is to quantify some of the parameters needed to perform near-field modelling of sites in the Kara Sea that were impacted by the disposal of radioactive waste. The parameters of interest are: the distribution coefficients (Kd) for several important radionuclides, the mineralogy of the sediment, and the relationship of Kd to liquid-to-solid ratio. Sediment from the Kara Sea (location: 73 degrees 00'N, 58 degrees 00'E) was sampled from a depth of 287 m on August 23/24, 1992. Analysis of the material included mineralogy, grain size and total organic carbon (TOC). Uptake kinetics were determined for 85Sr, 137Cs, 241Am, 99Tc, 1251, 232U and 210Pb and distribution coefficients (Kd) were determined for these radionuclides using batch type experiments. Sorption isotherms, developed for 137Cs, 85Sr and 99Tc, were linear in each case. Increasing the liquid-to-solid ratio strongly increased uptake of 137Cs and moderately increased uptake of 99Tc. Analysis for anthropogenic radionuclides indicated the presence only of 239/240Pu in the sediment with the highest activity (at the top section of the core) being 0.420 Bq kg(-1). Other anthropogenic radionuclides were below detection limits.     

Sampling of VOCs with the BAT Ground Water Sampling System

In the BAT ground water sampling system, a stainless steel probe with a porous filter element is pushed vertically to the desired sampling depth. An evacuated glass sampling tube is then lowered down the penetration rods where it makes contact with the filter via a hypodermic needle and draws a pore fluid sample.
An investigation of the system was carried out at a number of sites contaminated by leaking underground gasoline storage tanks. Ground water samples obtained using the BAT system and adjacent monitoring wells were analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Because the BAT system is an in situ penetration device with a small filter length, it is possible to determine variations in contaminant concentration with depth. BAT samples in general exhibited higher recovery of VOCs than did bailer samples from adjacent monitoring wells screened over large intervals.
Much higher levels of VOCs were recovered when the probe was used with its 316 stainless steel filter than when using the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) filter. Significant sorption apparently occurred on the latter filter.
Because the BAT sample tubes are sealed and remain a closed system, the in situ water pressure is maintained. No significant loss of VOCs was found in sampling tubes containing headspace. Samples from the upper tube in the cascaded setup with headspace recovered levels of VOCs as high, or in a few cases higher, than the lower, no-headspace tubes.     

Comparison of Fiberglass and Other Polymeric Well Casings Part II. Sorption and Leaching of Trace-Level Organics

This paper contains the results of a laboratory study that was designed to compare sorption of low (mg/L) concentrations of 11 organic solutes by six polymeric materials (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene [ABS], fluorinated ethylene propylene [FEP], fiberglass-reinforced epoxy [FRE] and fiberglass-reinforced plastic [FRP], polyvinyl chloride [PVC], and poly-tetrafluoroethylene [PTFE]).
During this six-week study, ABS sorbed analytes much more rapidly and to a greater extent than did the other materials, and PVC and FRE sorbed analytes more slowly and to a lesser extent than the other materials tested.
As the study progressed, an increasing number of spurious peaks were found in the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chromatograms of some of our samples, indicating that leaching of some consituents had occurred. By the end of the study, there were 11 additional peaks in the ABS samples, five in the FRP samples, and one in the FRE samples. Analysis by purge and trap gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) of those samples and of well water samples that were exposed to the casings for 500 hours revealed the identity of some of the leached constituents; acrylonitrile and styrene (components of ABS), chloroform and ethylbenzene (an intermediate in the production of styrene) from the ABS pipe, and toluene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and ethylbenzene from the FRP casing.     

Asymmetric hillslope erosion following wildfire in Fourmile Canyon,Colorado

Infrequent, high‐magnitude events cause a disproportionate amount of sediment transport on steep hillslopes, but few quantitative data are available that capture these processes. Here we study the influence of wildfire and hillslope aspect on soil erosion in Fourmile Canyon, Colorado. This region experienced the Fourmile Fire of 2010, strong summer convective storms in 2011 and 2012, and extreme flooding in September 2013. We sampled soils shortly after these events and use fallout radionuclides to trace erosion on polar‐ and equatorial‐facing burned slopes and on a polar‐facing unburned slope. Because these radionuclides are concentrated in the upper decimeter of soil, soil inventories are sensitive to erosion by surface runoff. The polar‐facing burned slope had significantly lower cesium‐137 (¹³⁷Cs) and lead‐210 (²¹⁰Pb) inventories (p < 0.05) than either the polar‐facing unburned slope or equatorial‐facing burned slope. Local slope magnitude does not appear to control the erosional response to wildfire, as relatively gently sloping (~20%) polar‐facing positions were severely eroded in the most intensively burned area. Field evidence and soil profile analyses indicate up to 4 cm of local soil erosion on the polar‐facing burned slope, but radionuclide mass balance indicates that much of this was trapped nearby. Using a ¹³⁷Cs‐based erosion model, we find that the burned polar‐facing slope had a net mean sediment loss of 2 mm (~1 kg m^?2) over a one to three year period, which is one to two orders of magnitude higher than longer‐term erosion rates reported for this region. In this part of the Colorado Front Range, strong hillslope asymmetry controls soil moisture and vegetation; polar‐facing slopes support significantly denser pine and fir stands, which fuels more intense wildfires. We conclude that polar‐facing slopes experience the most severe surface erosion following wildfires in this region, indicating that landscape‐scale aridity can control the geomorphic response of hillslopes to wildfires. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transfer factors of contamination between the German Bight and its tributary waters derived from measured tritium and Cs-137 activity concentrations

Summary Evaluation of the results of radioactivity monitoring in the southern North Sea between 1977 and 1987 has shown that in the water of the German Bight three areas stand out due to their different ratios between salinity and concentration of dissolved Cs-137 and tritium. While salinity steadily increases with greater distance from the coast, the Cs-137 concentration above 34 PSU (Practical Salinity Unit) increases sharply and shows how far water from the western and central North Sea, contaminated by nuclear reprocessing in Sellafield (Irish Sea), reaches into the German Bight. In the 34 to 32.5 PSU range, the influence can be seen of water contaminated by tritium originating in the rivers Rhein, Maas and Schelde, precipitation and the nuclear reprocessing plant at La Hague (Channel). Below 32.5 PSU, the influence of the influx from the rivers Elbe, Weser and Ems becomes apparent. These rivers are less contaminated with tritium.Assuming that Cs-137 and tritium, like the salinity of sea water, behave conservatively and that the decay-time of these two isotopes is long compared with the time-scale of water exchange in the southern North Sea, the concentration values measured are used to calculate the structure of the water masses in the three areas of the German Bight mentioned above using the mixing principle. Evaporation is taken into account. Results show that beyond 34 PSU, about half the sea water originates in the western central North Sea while the other half comes from the Channel. Below 34 PSU, the first mentioned share amounts only to a few per cent. Results also show that fresh water from the Rhein delta and precipitation, increasing with a decrease in salinity from 34 to 32.5 PSU, accounts for a maximum of 5% each. The fresh water influx into the German Bight via the rivers Elbe, Weser and Ems amounts to app. 11% when the PSU value reaches 29. The calculated portions are the mean values for the observation period. The number of measurements available makes it impossible to distinguish more exactly between the temporal and spatial variability of the amounts of the individual components.The quantity of each calculated portion of sea water also represents the transfer factor of concentration between the nuclide concentration in the source (e. g. the Rhein) and the concentration in the German Bight. In addition, these factors are used to calculate the transfer factors of discharge using the annual drainage rates of the sources. Thus a radioactive discharge rate of 10¹⁵ Bq per year into the Rhein would produce a mean activity concentration of 0.34 Bq/l in the German Bight (at a salinity of 33.5 PSU). To verify the calculated transfer factors, tritium concentrations in the German Bight are derived from existing environmental tritium data and the results are compared with the values actually measured.

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Transferkaktoren zwischen der Deutschen Bucht und ihren Zuflüssen abgeleitet aus der Tritium- und Cs-137-Aktivitätskonzentration in den beteiligten Gewässern

Zusammenfassung Eine zusammenhängende Auswertung der Meßergebnisse der Radioaktivitätsüberwachung in der südlichen Nordsee über den Zeitraum 1977 bis 1987 hat gezeigt, daß im Wasser der Deutschen Bucht deutlich drei durch den Salzgehalt des Meerwassers und die Konzentration der gelösten Radionuklide charakterisierte Bereiche zu unterscheiden sind.Während der Salzgehalt mit wachsender Entfernung von der Küste stetig zunimmt, steigt die Cs-137-Konzentration oberhalb 34 PSU (Practical Salinity Unit) sprunghaft an und signalisiert die Grenze, bis zu der das durch die Kernbrennstoff-Wiederaufarbeitung in Sellafield (Irische See) kontaminierte Meerwasser der westlichen und mittleren Nordsee in die Deutsche Bucht vordringt. Im Bereich 34 bis 32,5 PSU ist das von Westen zugeführte, stärker Tritium-kontaminierte Wasser aus Rhein, Maas, Schelde und atmosphärischem Niederschlag zu erkennen, an das sich unterhalb 32,5 PSU der geringer mit Tritum kontaminierte Zufluß aus Elbe, Weser und Ems anschließt.Davon ausgehend, daß sich Cs-137 und Tritium wie der Salzgehalt im Meerwasser konservativ verhalten und daß weiterhin die Halbwertzeit des radioaktiven Zerfalls dieser beiden Nuklide lang ist gegenüber den Wasseraustauschzeiten im betrachteten Meeresgebiet, wurden die in der südlichen Nordsee gemessenen sowie aus der Literatur für den Süßwasserbereich entnommenen Konzentrationswerte dazu genutzt, um rechnerisch mit Hilfe des Mischungsgesetzes den Wassermassenaufbau in den drei genannten Salinitätsbereichen in der Deutschen Bucht quantitativ zu bestimmen. Es zeigte sich, daß oberhalb von 34 PSU das Meerwasser aus etwa gleichen Teilen aus der westlichen/mittleren Nordsee und dem Kanal stammt, während unterhalb dieser Salzgehaltsgrenze nur noch mit wenigen Prozentanteilen Wasser aus der mittleren Nordsee zu finden ist. Ferner ergab sich, daß das aus dem Rheinmündungsbiet bzw, aus dem atmosphärischen Niederschlag stammende Süßwasser — mit sinkendem Salzgehalt steigend — bei 32,5 PSU einen maximalen Anteil von jeweils 5% an Meerwasser hat. Der direkte Süßwasserzufluß aus Elbe, Weser und Ems beträgt in die Deutsche Bucht bei 29 PSU ca. 11%.Die berechneten Anteile sind Mittelwerte über den gesamten Beobachtungszeitraum; die Anzahl der Messungen läßt eine genauere Unterscheidung in zeitliche und räumliche Variabilität der Zusammensetzung nicht zu.Die Größe des jeweils bestimmten Anteils am Meerwasser stellt gleichzeitig den Transferfaktor der Konzentration zwischen der Nuklidkonzentration im Ursprungsgewässer (z. B. dem Rhein) und der sich daraus einstellenden Konzentration in der Deutschen Bucht dar. Ferner wurden die Transferfaktoren der Konzentration in Verbindung mit aus der Literatur entnommenen Größen der jährlichen Abflußmengen der Ursprungsgewässer genutzt, um auch die Transferfaktoren der jährlichen Einbringung zu ermitteln. So ergibt die jährliche Einbringung von 10¹⁵ Bq eines Nuklides z. B. in den Rhein bei 33,5 PSU in der Deutschen Bucht eine mittlere Konzentration von 0,34 Bq/l.Als Anwendungsbeispiel und zur Überprüfung der Richtigkeit der Transferfaktoren wird die Auswertung des Tritiumauslasses bei La Hague auf die Deutsche Bucht berechnet und mit den gemessenen Werten verglichen.

     

Dynamischer Zinkaustausch an umweltrelevanten anorganischen Festphasen

The fixation of slightly soluble substances on inert carriers offers the possibility to examine the exchange of heavy metals at these phases under dynamic conditions. Investigations are presented for the exchange of Zinc under various conditions (pH, different concentrations of other cations such as Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ or of NTA as a chelating agent) on fixed MnO₂-hydrate, Fe(OH₃), CaCO₃ and a natural clay-slate. Batch-experiments showed that all phases are able to sorb Zinc with MnO₂-hydrate as the best sorbent for this metal (highest sorption constant and capacity). Column desorption experiments demonstrate that a decrease of the pH of the aqueous phase or an addition of NTA remobilise Zinc from MnO₂-hydrate, Fe(OH)₃, CaCO₃ and also from the clay-slate. The same effect of releasing sorbed metal (with exception of the CaCO₃-phase) show Na⁺ or Ca²⁺ containing solutions. Therefore Zinc is bonded under natural conditions on the oxihydrates and the clay-slate in a labile, ion-exchangeable form in contrast to CaCO₃, on which Zinc is sorbed probably as the carbonate.     

Similarities in the behaviour of Chernobyl derived Ru-103, Ru-106 and Cs-137 in two freshwater lakes

Measurements of the concentrations of Ru-103 and Ru-106 in the water column and sediments of two productive temperate lakes were made during an eight month period following the Chernobyl accident. Ru-103 accumulation in the sediments began simultaneously with that of Cs-134 and a constant ratio (approx. 2.0 on a decay corrected basis) of Ru-103/Cs-137 was observed in surface waters and sediments throughout the measurement period. The ratio is not statistically different from that reported for atmospheric input and for epilimnetic water. The results suggest that the processes of removal of radioactive ruthenium and caesium from the mixed water column to the sediments are the same.Enhancement of Cs, compared with Ru, in the isolated bottom waters of one of the lakes in the summer months provided evidence for Cs release from the sediments during a period of hypolimnetic anoxia.