Speciation of Uranium and Plutonium From Nuclear Legacy Sites to the Environment: A Mini Review

The row of 15 chemical elements from Ac to Lr with atomic numbers from 89 to 103 are known as the actinides, which are all radioactive. Among them, uranium and plutonium are the most important as they are used in the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear weapon production. Since the beginning of national n...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Anna Yu. Romanchuk, Irina E. Vlasova, Stepan N. Kalmykov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Chemistry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fchem.2020.00630/full
Description
Summary:The row of 15 chemical elements from Ac to Lr with atomic numbers from 89 to 103 are known as the actinides, which are all radioactive. Among them, uranium and plutonium are the most important as they are used in the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear weapon production. Since the beginning of national nuclear programs and nuclear tests, many radioactively contaminated nuclear legacy sites, have been formed. This mini review covers the latest experimental, modeling, and case studies of plutonium and uranium migration in the environment, including the speciation of these elements and the chemical reactions that control their migration pathways.
ISSN:2296-2646