Possible role of organic matter in radiocaesium adsorption in soils

The aim of this review is to examine the hypothesis that organic matter decreases the adsorption of radiocaesium on clay minerals. The factors that determine radiocaesium mobility and bioavailability in soil are briefly outlined to show why a relationship between soil organic matter content and enha...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of environmental radioactivity 2002, Vol.58 (2), p.163-173
Main Authors: Staunton, S., Dumat, C., Zsolnay, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adsorption
Agricultural sciences
Agronomy
Aluminum Silicates - chemistry
Biodiversity and Ecology
Biological Availability
Cesium Radioisotopes - chemistry
Environmental Sciences
Ions
Life Sciences
Organic Chemicals
Organic matter
Radiocaesium
Soil
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The aim of this review is to examine the hypothesis that organic matter decreases the adsorption of radiocaesium on clay minerals. The factors that determine radiocaesium mobility and bioavailability in soil are briefly outlined to show why a relationship between soil organic matter content and enhanced Cs bioavailability is paradoxical. In all the investigations reviewed the ionic compositions of both the solid and the solution phases have been strictly controlled. We show that the addition of organic matter to reference clay minerals causes decreases of up to an order of magnitude in the distribution coefficient of radiocaesium. Similarly, the chemical removal of organic matter from the clay-sized fraction of soil usually leads to an increase in Cs adsorption. We suggest that the nature of the organic matter and its interaction with mineral surfaces are as important as the amount present.
ISSN:0265-931X
1879-1700
DOI:10.1016/S0265-931X(01)00064-9