Associations and mobility of uranium in soils near a depleted uranium （DU） weapons testing site, SW Scotland

Natural uranium has three isotopes, ^238U, ^235U and ^234U, with natural abundances of 99.27 atom %, 0.72% and 0.0055%, respectively. Only ^235U is fissile and the production of nuclear fuel and nuclear weapons involves enrichment of uranium in ^235U. This process also results in separation of ^234U from ^238U, leaving depleted uranium （DU）, with typical ^234U/^238U and ^235U/^238U activity ratios of about 0.19 and 0.013, respectively, as a waste product. The high density, high melting and boiling points and chemical stability of uranium and the availability of DU in relatively pure form mean that DU has many uses, including armour-piercing munitions. Such munitions have been developed in the UK since the 1960s and testing has been carried out by the Ministry of Defence （MoD） at firing ranges such as Dundrennan, SW Scotland and Eskmeals, NW England. The firing of DU munitions can result in the dispersion of DU and its combustion products （oxides） as aerosols or as larger fragments, with the potential for human exposure either directly at the site of detonation or via post-depositional migration in the environment. The aim of this work was to investigate the potential environmental mobility of DU by characterizing the associations of U in soil porewaters with increasing distance from a firing site. To this end, several soil cores located down-wind of the firing site at Dundrennan, near Kirkcudbright, SW Scotland, were collected in May 2006. These were sectioned on-site into 1- or 2-cm depth intervals and porewaters were isolated by centfifugation （10 minutes; 8873 g） on return to the laboratory. Following filtration through 0.2-micron cellulose nitrate filters, the porewaters were analyzed by ICP-QMS （U concentration） and ICP-OES （Fe, Al, Ca, Mg, Mn concentrations）. Sub-samples were also subjected to centrifugal ultrafiltration （100, 30, and 3 kD） and to gel electrophoretic fractionation （agarose; 0.045 M Tris-borate; 20 mA, 30 minutes）. Results showed that U was present at up to 4 μg/L in the soil porewater and that the associations of U varied with sample location and soil depth.     

Synergistic effect of combining sulfate reducing bacteria and zerovalent iron permeable reactive barriers on the treatment of groundwater rich in uranium, sulfate and heavy metals

Uranium processing and mining activities that generate many contaminants, such as high concentrations of U （VI）, sulfate and heavy metals （Zn, Cu, Ni, etc）, may pose a serious threat to the groundwater resources. In recent years, considerable research has been conducted respectively on two kinds of permeable reactive barriers （PRB）, including zerovalent iron （ZVI） and sulfate reducing bacteria （SRB）, for in-situ removal of these pollutants from groundwater. However, little investigation has been carried out on the potential benefits of bioaugmenting ZVI barriers to enhance the elimination of the pollutants by combining ZVI with SRB systems. The main goal of this study was to conduct batch and column experiments to determine whether the combination of SRB and ZVI can function synergistically and accelerate the rate of pollutant removal. The results of anaerobic batch experiments demonstrated that although the integrated ZVI/PRB system itself has no ability to reduce and remove sulfate directly, SRB can utilize hydrogen gas produced during the slow process of ZVI corrosion as an electron donor to raise biomass yields significantly and accelerate reductive sulfate removal. In particular, ferrous cations produced as the byproduct of ZVI corrosion process reacted with hydrogen sulfide from sulfate reduction and formed iron-bearing sulfide precipitates, which can stimulate the growth of SRB and promote sulfate removal activity by eliminating the biotoxicity of hydrogen sulfide. It was also shown that secondary mineral products （pyrite/ferrous sulfide） formed as a consequence of microbial sulfate reduction and ZVI corrosion process can enhance the microbial precipitation of soluble U （VI） as insoluble uraninite（uranium dioxide）.     

大湾铀矿田铀-镭平衡系数及迁移富集特征研究

从分析大湾铀矿田各矿床(点)的铀镭平衡系数变化特征出发,结合放射性同位素比值特征分析铀镭迁移富集行为,指出了各矿床(点)氧化带的深度,以了解各铀矿床(点)潜在的工业价值.     

深部找铀及湘南-桂北地区深部找铀潜景分析

概述了国内外深部找矿的研究成果,指出深部找矿是当今发展的趋势。国内外重大矿产的成功发掘,其深度均在千米以上,铀矿化垂向分布深度可达4 km以上。综合介绍了国内外勘查深大矿床的特点和条件,认为岩石-构造条件是深部矿化定位的重要因素,复式岩体、成矿系统的垂向变化、构造地球物理-地球化学异常模型是深部找矿的关键依据。综述了中国南方湘南—桂北地区深部找铀的有利地质构造条件和潜力,成矿流体是该区铀矿化的根源,白垩—第三纪重大地质事件是该区深部铀成矿的重要前提,重大地质事件引发的NE-NNE,NW向深大断裂及断陷盆地是铀矿化赋存的重要场所和勘查靶区。在已知铀矿田、成矿带勘查范围基础上,在该区进行深部探索将会获得重大突破。探讨了湘南—桂北地区深部找铀的勘查思路和方法。     

华东铀资源潜力分析及危机矿山接替资源勘查工作设想

华东地区铀成矿条件良好,铀资源丰富,经过近50年的铀矿勘查,探明了大量的铀资源/储量,目前全国保留的八大铀矿山中华东有三个,每年给国家提交一定量的铀资源。随着我国核电的快速发展,铀资源的需求日趋紧迫,立足铀资源国内的原则必须继续寻找南方硬岩型铀资源。作者在总结调查报告成果的基础上,从全局的高度出发,分析了华东铀资源开采、利用现状及铀资源潜力,在实地考察华东三大铀山铀资源开采、利用情况的基础上,初步分析了资源危机程度,提出了华东铀矿山接替资源勘查工作意见。     

克鲁伦凹陷大磨拐河组沉积体系演化与赋铀性

克鲁伦凹陷下白垩统大磨拐河组是海拉尔盆地寻找可地浸砂岩型铀矿的目的层。大磨拐河组主要发育冲积扇、扇三角洲和湖相 3种沉积体系。根据沉积环境和沉积物特征 ,可将冲积扇划分为扇根、扇中和扇端 3种亚相 ;扇三角洲划分为上扇三角洲平原、下扇三角洲平原、扇三角洲前缘和前扇三角洲亚相。凹陷北缘发育两个扇体 ,扇三角洲体系和冲积扇体系之间在不同时期可相互转化。区内的陆源粗碎屑沉积岩为铀的富集创造了有利条件 ,扇三角洲和冲积扇的主河道和分流河道是最有利于铀聚集的部位。     

盛源盆地南部铀成矿水文地球化学条件分析

本文阐述了盛源盆地南部铀成矿的地质、水文地质和水文地球化学条件 ,分析了区内放射性水异常的产出、分布特征和控制因素 ,认为坝口等地段水的循环深度大 ,深部氧化 还原过渡带发育 ,大面积、交互叠加的放射性水异常是寻找大型隐伏铀矿床的重要标志。     

砂岩型铀矿勘查样品中铀的野外快速测定方法研究

本文研究并建立了适合野外条件下快速测定砂岩型铀矿勘查试样中铀的分析方法———密闭酸溶试样、钒酸铵容量法测定铀。采用密闭增压酸溶样, 可使粒度小于0 25 mm的试样分解完全;小体积容量法提高了测定灵敏度。配合不同浓度的标准溶液可适应不同含量范围铀的测定。方法经标准物质和吐哈工区试样验证, 准确度和精度较高, 且操作简单, 适应性广, 具有实用和推广价值。     

中国首例铁氧化物-铜-金-铀-稀土型矿床的厘定及其成矿演化

通过对拉拉矿床物共生组合、矿物生成顺序、矿石特征的研究，发现其矿石物以磁铁矿为主，铁和铜的硫化物次之，并含有大量稀土矿物和自然金。拉拉矿床至少经历了两期成矿作用：早期为区域变质成矿作用，晚期为热液成矿作用。早期形成Fe-REE-P矿化，晚期为Cu-Mo-Au-Co-(U)矿化。根据这些特征，首次指出该矿床属于铁氧化物-铜-金-铀-稀土型矿床，而不是以往所称的块状硫化物型铜矿。     

Tectonic Subdivision of Dabie Orogenic Belt,Central China：Evidence from Pb Isotope Geochemistry of Late Mesozoic Basalts

It has long been debated that the Dabie orogenic belt belongs to the North China or Yangtze craton. In recent years, eastern China has been suggested, based on the Pb isotopic compositions of Phanerozoic ore and Mesozoic granitoid K-feldspar (revealing the crust Pb) in combination with Meso-Cenozoic basalts (revealing the mantle Pb), being divided into the North China and Yangtze Pb isotopic provinces, where the crust and mantle of the Yangtze craton are characterized by more radiogenic Pb. In this sense, previous researchers suggested that the pro-EW-trending Dabie crogenic belt with less radiogenic Pb in the crust was part of the North China craton. In this paper, however, the Late Cretaceous basalts in the central and southern parts of the Dabie orogenic belt are characterized by some more radiogenic Pb (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=17.936−18.349,²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=15.500−15.688,²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=38.399−38.775) and a unique U-Th-Pb trace element system similar to those of the Yangtze craton, showing that the Mesozoic mantle is of the Yangtze type. In addition, the decoupled Pb isotopic compositions between crust and mantle were considerably derived from their rheological inhomogeneity, implying a complicated evolution of the Dabie orogenic belt. The study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 49794043) and the Open Laboratory of Constitution, Interaction and Dynamics of the Crust-Mantle System, China.