Influence of variable oxygen concentration on the combustion derived release of radiocesium from boreal soil and peat
Martinsson, Johan LU ; Pédehontaa-Hiaa, Guillaume LU ; Madsen, Dan LU
and Rääf, Christopher
LU
(2022)
In Science of the Total Environment
815.
- Abstract
- Radiocesium, 137Cs, is one of the most common and dispersed human-made radionuclides. Substantial stocks of 137Cs are stored in organic layers, like soils and peat, as a consequence of nuclear weapons fallout and accidental releases. As climate warming progresses these organic layers are subject to enhanced risks of wildfires, especially in the vast boreal biome of the northern hemisphere. Reemission of 137Cs to the atmosphere is therefore presumed to increase. Here, we experimentally investigated the emissions and redistribution of 137Cs in smoldering fires of boreal soil and peat by varying the oxygen concentration during combustion. For both soil and peat, significantly more 137Cs... (More)
- Radiocesium, 137Cs, is one of the most common and dispersed human-made radionuclides. Substantial stocks of 137Cs are stored in organic layers, like soils and peat, as a consequence of nuclear weapons fallout and accidental releases. As climate warming progresses these organic layers are subject to enhanced risks of wildfires, especially in the vast boreal biome of the northern hemisphere. Reemission of 137Cs to the atmosphere is therefore presumed to increase. Here, we experimentally investigated the emissions and redistribution of 137Cs in smoldering fires of boreal soil and peat by varying the oxygen concentration during combustion. For both soil and peat, significantly more 137Cs was released through flaming combustion in 21% O2 (50% and 31%, respectively) compared to smoldering in reduced O2 environments (14% and 8%, respectively). The residual ashes were heavily enriched (>100%) in 137Cs. Hence, after a wildfire induced volatilization of 137Cs, there exists further pathways of 137Cs enriched ash to proliferate in the environment. These results serve as a link between wildfire combustion conditions and the mobility of the 137Cs inventory found in ground fuels of the boreal environment and can be valuable for radiological risk assessments in a warmer and a more nuclear energy reliant world. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/2ae1f59e-cce5-453c-a5d3-94765d348547
- author
- Martinsson, Johan
LU
; Pédehontaa-Hiaa, Guillaume
LU
; Madsen, Dan
LU
and Rääf, Christopher
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022-04-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Radiocesium, Wildfires, Nuclear power, Boreal environment, Climat change
- in
- Science of the Total Environment
- volume
- 815
- article number
- 152725
- pages
- 7 pages
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85122668406
- pmid:34974011
- ISSN
- 1879-1026
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152725
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 2ae1f59e-cce5-453c-a5d3-94765d348547
- date added to LUP
- 2022-01-10 10:25:22
- date last changed
- 2024-05-30 09:21:58
@article{2ae1f59e-cce5-453c-a5d3-94765d348547,
abstract = {{Radiocesium, <sup>137</sup>Cs, is one of the most common and dispersed human-made radionuclides. Substantial stocks of <sup>137</sup>Cs are stored in organic layers, like soils and peat, as a consequence of nuclear weapons fallout and accidental releases. As climate warming progresses these organic layers are subject to enhanced risks of wildfires, especially in the vast boreal biome of the northern hemisphere. Reemission of <sup>137</sup>Cs to the atmosphere is therefore presumed to increase. Here, we experimentally investigated the emissions and redistribution of <sup>137</sup>Cs in smoldering fires of boreal soil and peat by varying the oxygen concentration during combustion. For both soil and peat, significantly more <sup>137</sup>Cs was released through flaming combustion in 21% O<sub>2</sub> (50% and 31%, respectively) compared to smoldering in reduced O<sub>2</sub> environments (14% and 8%, respectively). The residual ashes were heavily enriched (>100%) in <sup>137</sup>Cs. Hence, after a wildfire induced volatilization of <sup>137</sup>Cs, there exists further pathways of <sup>137</sup>Cs enriched ash to proliferate in the environment. These results serve as a link between wildfire combustion conditions and the mobility of the <sup>137</sup>Cs inventory found in ground fuels of the boreal environment and can be valuable for radiological risk assessments in a warmer and a more nuclear energy reliant world.}},
author = {{Martinsson, Johan and Pédehontaa-Hiaa, Guillaume and Madsen, Dan and Rääf, Christopher}},
issn = {{1879-1026}},
keywords = {{Radiocesium; Wildfires; Nuclear power; Boreal environment; Climat change}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{04}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Science of the Total Environment}},
title = {{Influence of variable oxygen concentration on the combustion derived release of radiocesium from boreal soil and peat}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/111818248/1_s2.0_S0048969721078049_main.pdf}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152725}},
volume = {{815}},
year = {{2022}},
}