TRLFS investigation on seepage waters of the Gessenbach grassland

Laser fluorescence techniques possess some superior features, above all a very high sensitivity for fluorescent heavy metal ions. The predominance of TRLFS compared to other spectroscopic techniques, e.g. XRD and IR was showed in Baumann N. et al. (2008) in analyzing the speciation of U(VI) in a thin layer of an alteration product formed on depleted uranium. With their high sensitivity TRLFS is also suited to identify the U(VI) speciation in plant constituents. Long delay steps in time-resolved measurements avoid annoying fluorescence emission caused by organic substances.
Uranium speciation in seepage water of the Gessenbach grassland was determined by TRLFS. This was done to compare it in a later stage with the uranium speciation in plants, which grow on that grassland and ingest the same uranium contaminated water during their growth. The uranium content in those samples GB 3 and GB 6 was 75.1 and 291 ppb, respectively, and both samples delivered an evaluable fluorescence signal for TRLFS. The positions of the six peak maxima from these signals are in both water samples in concordance with data for uranium sulfate species published in the literature, e. g. in Bernhard G. et al. (1996) at 477, 493, 513, 537, 562 and 591 nm. Moreover, the time-resolved fluorescence signals of both water samples possess a mono-exponential decay, indicating the presence of one species only. These two characteristics, i.e. positions of peak maxima and lifetimes revealed without doubt that the uranium speciation in the seepage water is dominated by uranium (VI) sulfate species.
TRLFS measurements with plant compartments (e.g. roots, leaves, shoots) which grow in association with the seepage water will be carried out in future investigations. U(VI) components could be extracted from the plant compartments by centrifugation as cell sap, or as solid milled plant compartment sample and subsequently studied by TRLFS. Information in preparation of the plant compartments for TRLFS analyses has been reported in Günther A. et al. (2003) and were further refined. As suggested by Carrière M. et al. (2005) reactivity and toxicity of uranium depend on the speciation of heavy metals and accordingly have to be considered as important possible risk factor as uranium may enter economic plants and eventually arrives in the food chain.

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