No effect of digestate amendment on Cs-137 and Sr-90 translocation in lysimeter experiments. (April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mehmood, Khalid; Berns, Anne E.; Pütz, Thomas; Burauel, Peter; Vereecken, Harry; Opitz, Thorsten; Zoriy, Myroslav; Hofmann, Diana
• Is Part Of: Chemosphere. Volume 172(2017)
• Page Start: 310
• Page End: 315
• Publication Date: 2017-04
• Subjects: Radioactive contaminants -- Undisturbed soil monolith -- Agro-ecosystem -- Oat -- Wheat -- Transfer factor; Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Physiological effect -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Atmospheric chemistry -- Periodicals; 551.511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.12.134
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0045-6535

Abstract

Abstract: The soil-plant transfer of Cs-137 and Sr-90 in different crops was determined with respect to the present-day amendment practice of using digestate from biogas fermenters. The studies were performed using large lysimeters filled with undisturbed luvisol monoliths. In contrast to the conservative tracer, Br −, neither of the studied radionuclides showed a significant vertical translocation nor effect of the applied digestate amendment compared to a non-amended control was found. Furthermore, no significant plant uptake was measured for both nuclides in wheat or oat as indicated by the low transfer factors between soil-shoot for Cs-137 (TF 0.001–0.010) and for Sr-90 (0.10–0.51). The transfer into nutritionally relevant plant parts was even lower with transfer factors for soil-grain for Cs-137 (TF 0.000–0.001) and for Sr-90 (0.01–0.06). Hence, the amendment with biogas digestate is unfortunately not an option to further reduce plant uptake of these radionuclides in agricultural crops, but it does not increase plant uptake either. Highlights: Biogas-digestate soil amendment does not influence uptake of radionuclides (RN). RN transfer factors (TF) of grains are smaller than TF of whole plants. Crops are not be suited for radioactive phytoremediation purposes.