Membrane luminescence determination of technogenic actinides and their speciation in environmental objects

Researchers of the Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences created a luminescence photometer of a new generation for the determination of trace amounts of uranium and transuranium elements (TUE). The limits of detection for actinides vary from 0.3 pg for uranium and neptunium to 2.0 pg for plutonium. For 237Np, the relative limit of detection is 0.008 Bq/L. The photometer was tested in the radioecological monitoring of a number of polluted zones in Russia. The dynamics of actinide migration in all of the studied zones enhanced in the series 239Pu 241Am > 239Pu irrespectively of the soil. In the group of humic acids, concentrations of radionuclides increased in the series 237Np < 239Pu < 241Am. The sorption coefficients of radionuclides by bottom sediments of the Markha River (Kraton-3 underground nuclear explosion site) and Lake Kyzyltash (East Urals Radioactive Trace) were calculated. Bioaccumulation factors of radionuclides by different plants in the impact area of the Kraton underground nuclear explosion were determined depending on the plant type.