Factors Influencing the Soil to Plant Transfer of Uranium

Guillén, J.; Gómez-Polo, F. M.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-14961-1_6

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…U possesses chemical and radioactivity toxicity to organisms in soils. Several studies have revealed the U uptake by plants from the soils, which eventually is transferred into the food chain [124,125]. For example, Nkuba and Mohammed [126] indicated that there is higher natural radioactivity and radiation transfer from soils into maize and bean crops grown near Minjingu phosphate mines.…”

Section: Reported U Uptake By Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the fate of U in the surface and sub-surface soil environments depends entirely on U valency states. In soils, U is fairly soluble as a U(VI) cation or (UO 2 2+ ) in an oxidizing environment [118,124,131]. In soil with a reducing environment and a pH between 4.0 and 7.5, uranium is immobile because UO 2 mostly binds to oxidized organic matter (OM) and precipitates on the surface of iron/aluminum (Fe/Al) minerals that are weak or noncrystalline [100].…”

Section: The Fate Of U Added To Agricultural Soilmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Uranium Dissemination with Phosphate Fertilizers Globally: A Systematic Review with Focus on East Africa

Mwalongo,

Haneklaus,

Lisuma

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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Growing concern has been expressed about uranium (U) accumulation in agricultural soils caused by the long-term application of mineral fertilizers. More than 80% of naturally occurring U transfers from phosphate rock (PR), the raw material used in mineral fertilizer production, to phosphorus (P) fertilizers. These fertilizers are then distributed on agricultural soils, where the U could accumulate over time and become a risk to the environment. The objective of this work was to review the reported content of U in P fertilizers, its potential dispersion in soils, and its uptake by plants in different countries in the world as reported in the literature. The articles for this systematic review were selected from the Scopus database published between 2003 and 2022. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) protocol were used. A total of 54 articles were assessed based on the standard inclusion and exclusion criteria. U concentrations in P fertilizers, agricultural soil dissemination, and plant uptake for available data were obtained and assessed. In order to compare a set of related data from the collected articles, box and whisker plots showing the distribution of U in P fertilizers are presented by region. The results from the reviewed articles show that the U concentrations in P fertilizer were in the range of 0.1–653 mg kg−1. Interestingly, Minjingu P fertilizers from Tanzania, which are used in six East African countries, showed the highest U concentrations (159 to 653 mg kg−1, average 390 mg kg−1). The reported U concentrations for these fertilizers are, in fact, comparable to those of conventional low-grade uranium deposits mined in Namibia and elsewhere. Additionally, approximately 96% of the reviewed articles indicate that fertilized soil has higher U concentrations than non-fertilized soils, hinting at a measurable effect of mineral fertilizer use. The review recommends U extraction during mineral fertilizer production so that potential environmental risks can be reduced and U resources that would otherwise be lost can be recovered and used to substitute conventional U mining elsewhere.

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Section: Reported U Uptake By Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%