Abstract: Acid mine water from in situ chemical leaching of uranium (Straz pod Ralskem, Czech Republic) was treated in laboratory scale experiments by zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI). For the first time, nZVI were applied for the treatment of the real acid water system containing the miscellaneous mixture of pollutants, where the various removal mechanisms occur simultaneously. Toxicity of the treated saline acid water is caused by major contaminants represented by aluminum and sulphates in a high concentration, as well as by microcontaminants like As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, U, V, and Zn. Laboratory batch experiments proved a significant decrease in concentrations of all the monitored pollutants due to an increase in pH and a decrease in oxidation–reduction potential related to an application of nZVI. The assumed mechanisms of contaminants removal include precipitation of cations in a lower oxidation state, precipitation caused by a simple pH increase and co-precipitation with the formed iron oxyhydroxides. The possibility to control the reaction kinetics through the nature of the surface stabilizing shell (polymer vs. FeO nanolayer) is discussed as an important practical aspect.

Abstract: 4He concentrations in excess of the solubility equilibrium with the atmosphere by up to two to three orders of magnitude are observed in the Carrizo Aquifer in Texas, the Ojo Alamo and Nacimiento aquifers in the San Juan Basin, New Mexico, and the Auob Sandstone Aquifer in Namibia. A simple 4He accumulation model is applied to explain these excess 4He concentrations in terms of both in situ production and a crustal flux across the bottom layer of the aquifer. Results from the model simulations suggest variability in the 4He fluxes, ranging from 6×10−6 cm3 STP cm−2 yr−1 for the Auob Sandstone Aquifer to 3.6×10−7 cm3 STP cm−2 yr−1 for the Carrizo aquifer. For the Ojo Alamo and Nacimiento aquifers an intermediate value of 3×10−6 cm3 STP cm−2 yr−1 was estimated. The contribution of in-situ produced 4He to the measured concentrations was also estimated. This contribution is negligible for the Auob Sandstone Aquifer as compared with both the concentrations measured at the top and bottom of the aquifer for most of the pathway. In the Carrizo aquifer, in-situ produced 4He contributes 27.5% and 15.4%, to the total 4He observed at the top and bottom of the aquifer, respectively. For both aquifers of the San Juan Basin in-situ production almost entirely dominates the 4He concentrations at the top of the aquifer for most of the pathway. In contrast, the internal production is negligible as compared with the measured concentrations at the bottom of these aquifers, reaching, at most, 1.1%. The model simulations require an exponential decrease in the horizontal velocity of the water with increasing recharge distance to reproduce the distribution of 4He in these aquifers. For the Auob Sandstone Aquifer the highest range in the velocity values is obtained (25 to 0.4 m yr−1). The simulations for the Carrizo aquifer and both aquifers located in the San Juan Basin require velocities varying from 4 to 0.1 m yr−1, and from 2 to 0.3 m yr−1, respectively. For each aquifer, average permeability values were also estimated. They are generally in agreement with results obtained from pumping tests, hydrodynamic modeling and previous 14C measurements. On the basis of the results obtained by calibrating the model with the measured 4He concentrations, the mean water residence times were estimated. They agree reasonably well with 14C ages. When applied as chronologies for noble gas temperatures in the same aquifers, the calculated 4He ages allow the identification of three different climate periods similar to those previously identified using 14C ages: (1) the Holocene period (0–10 Ka BP), (2) the Last Glacial Maximum (≈18 Ka BP), and (3) the preceeding period (30–150 Ka BP).

Abstract: Due to its radiological and toxicological properties even at low concentration levels, uranium is increasingly recognized as relevant contaminant in drinking water from aquifers. Uranium originates from different sources, including natural or geogenic, mining and industrial activities, and fertilizers in agriculture. The goal of this study was to obtain insights into the origin of uranium in groundwater while differentiating between geogenic sources and fertilizers. A literature review concerning the sources and geochemical processes affecting the occurrence and distribution of uranium in the lithosphere, pedosphere and hydrosphere provided the background for the evaluation of data on uranium in groundwater at regional scale. The state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, was selected for this study, because of its hydrogeological and land-use diversity, and for reasons of data availability. Uranium and other parameters from N=1935 groundwater monitoring sites were analyzed statistically and geospatially. Results show that (i) 1.6% of all water samples exceed the German legal limit for drinking water (10μg/L); (ii) The range and spatial distribution of uranium and occasional peak values seem to be related to geogenic sources; (iii) There is a clear relation between agricultural land-use and low-level uranium concentrations, indicating that fertilizers generate a measurable but low background of uranium in groundwater.