Chemical and radiochemical characterization of depleted uranium in contaminated soils

Abstract

The main results of chemical and radiochemical characterization and fractionation of depleted uranium in soils contaminated during the Balkan conflict in 1999 are presented in the paper. Alpha-spectrometric analysis of used depleted uranium material has shown the presence of man-made radioisotopes 236U, 237Np, and 239, 240Pu traces. The fractionation in different soil types was examined by the application of a modified Tessier's five-step sequential chemical extraction procedure, specifically selective to certain physical/chemical associations. After ion-exchange-based radiochemical separation of uranium, depleted uranium is distinguished from naturally occurring uranium in extracts on the basis of the isotopic activity ratios 234U/238U and 235U/238U and particular substrates for recently present uranium material in soils are indicated.