Abstract
The uranium inventory in the Boeun aquifer is situated near an artificial reservoir (40–70 m apart) intended to supply water to nearby cities. However, toxic radionuclides can enter the reservoir. To determine the U mobility in the system, we analyzed groundwater and fracture-filling materials (FFMs) for environmental tracers, including microbial signatures, redox-sensitive elements and isotopes. In the site, U mass flux ranged from only 9.59 × 10–7 µg/L/y to 1.70 × 10–4 µg/L/y. The δ18O-H2O and 14C signatures showed that groundwater originated mainly from upland recharges and was not influenced by oxic surface water. We observed U accumulations (∼157 mg/kg) in shallow FFMs and Fe enrichments (∼226798 mg/kg) and anomalies in the 230Th/238U activity ratio (AR), 230Th/234U AR, δ56Fe and δ57Fe isotopes, suggesting that low U mobility in shallow depths is associated with a Fe-rich environment. At shallow depths, anaerobic Fe-oxidizers, Gallionella was prevalent in the groundwater, while Acidovorax was abundant near the U ore deposit depth. The Fe-rich environment at shallow depths was formed by sulfide dissolution, as demonstrated by δ34S-SO4 and δ18O-SO4 distribution. Overall, the Fe-rich aquifer including abundant sulfide minerals immobilizes dissolved U through biotic and abiotic processes, without significant leaching into nearby reservoirs.
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