The relationship of mineral and geochemical composition to artificial radionuclide partitioning inYenisei river sediments downstream frommining-and-chemical combine rosatom

Bondareva Lydia,Artamonova Svetlana

doi:10.4236/ns.2011.37073

Abstract

Discharges from the Mining-and-Chemical Com- bine (MCC) of Rosatom, downstream from Krasnoyarsk-26, near of the Krasnoyarsk resulted in radioactive contamination of sedi-ments of the River Yenisei. The concentration of artificial gammaemitting radionuclides (137Cs, 60Co, 152Eu, and 241Am) was determined to analyze the migration processes leading to the transport of these radionuclides. The concentration of artificial radionuclides in the surface layers of the studied area varied in wide ranges: 137Cs – 318 - 1800 Bq/kg, 60Co – 87 - 720 Bq/kg, 152Eu – 12 - 287 Bq/kg and 241Am – 6 - 76 Bq/kg. There was a sequence of migration of radionuclides investigated in the surface layer of sedi-ments that were collected in the near zone of influence of the MCC: 241Am ≈ 152Eu >60Co >137Cs. Radionuclide species have been found to be directly related to sediment structure and composition.

Highlights

Earth’s ecosystems, including aquatic ones, have accumulated large amounts of artificial radionuclides
The floodplain soils, sediments, aquatic plants, and water of the Yenisei River have been found to contain various artificial radionuclides, both activation products and ones produced at the radiochemical plant of the Mining-and-Chemical Combine (MCC) of Rosatom [1,2,3]
Bottom and alluvial sediments are the main depots of artificial radionuclides released to the Yenisei as a result of 50 years of MCC operation

Summary

Introduction

Earth’s ecosystems, including aquatic ones, have accumulated large amounts of artificial radionuclides. Radioactive contamination of river ecosystems presents a challenge to many European countries. The Yenisei River is one of the environments affected by the conti- nuous radioactive contamination. The floodplain soils, sediments, aquatic plants, and water of the Yenisei River have been found to contain various artificial radionuclides, both activation products and ones produced at the radiochemical plant of the Mining-and-Chemical Combine (MCC) of Rosatom [1,2,3]. There is a Mining and Chemical Combine of Rosatom (MCC) on the left bank of the Yenisei, 50 km downstream from Krasnoyarsk. MCC includes radiochemical facilities and nuclear reactors. The production facilities of the plant are located on both banks of the River Yenisei and connected by a tunnel under the river bed. The last reactor with a closed circuit which is to be stopped in 2010 has been operating till

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