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Updated: Jul 30, 2026
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Speciation and Bioavailability Measurements of Environmental Plutonium Using Diffusion in Thin Films
Published on: November 9, 2015
Geochemical fractionation of plutonium in anoxic Irish Sea sediments using an optimised sequential extraction
1Department of Experimental Physics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. julie.lucey@ucd.ie
Summary
Plutonium in Ravenglass Estuary sediments is mainly in mobile forms. This finding explains the observed plutonium remobilisation in the north-eastern Irish Sea.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Geochemistry
- Radiochemistry
Background:
- The Ravenglass Estuary is a site of historical plutonium contamination.
- Understanding plutonium's solid phase partitioning is crucial for assessing its environmental mobility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the solid-phase speciation of plutonium in intertidal sediments from the Ravenglass Estuary.
- To investigate the mobility of plutonium in sediments under anoxic conditions.
Main Methods:
- An optimized five-step sequential extraction protocol was employed.
- Sodium citrate was used to inhibit plutonium resorption during extraction.
Main Results:
- Plutonium was predominantly associated with acid-soluble and exchangeable geochemical phases.
- A significant proportion of plutonium was found in relatively mobile geochemical phases.
Conclusions:
- The partitioning of plutonium in Ravenglass Estuary sediments suggests a high potential for remobilisation.
- These findings are consistent with ongoing plutonium remobilisation observed in the north-eastern Irish Sea.
