Experimental wildfire induced mobility of radiocesium in a boreal forest environment
Martinsson, Johan LU ; Pédehontaa-Hiaa, Guillaume LU ; Malmborg, Vilhelm LU
; Madsen, Dan
LU
and Rääf, Christopher
LU
(2021)
In Science of the Total Environment
792.
- Abstract
Wildfires are expected to increase with warmer climate, which can contribute to the mobility and the resuspension of long-lived and potentially hazardous radionuclides. The release of 137Cs during combustion of dried litter, forest floor organic soil, and peat was investigated in a small-scale experimental set-up. Combustion conditions were varied to simulate different wildfire scenarios, and the fuels were dried organic material collected in a boreal environment of Sweden that was contaminated following the Chernobyl accident in 1986. The combustion-related release of 137Cs to the air was on average 29% of the initial fuel content, while 71% of the initial 137Cs remained in the ashes after the... (More)
Wildfires are expected to increase with warmer climate, which can contribute to the mobility and the resuspension of long-lived and potentially hazardous radionuclides. The release of 137Cs during combustion of dried litter, forest floor organic soil, and peat was investigated in a small-scale experimental set-up. Combustion conditions were varied to simulate different wildfire scenarios, and the fuels were dried organic material collected in a boreal environment of Sweden that was contaminated following the Chernobyl accident in 1986. The combustion-related release of 137Cs to the air was on average 29% of the initial fuel content, while 71% of the initial 137Cs remained in the ashes after the combustion. Peat and forest soil had the highest releases (39% and 37%, respectively), although these numbers should be viewed as potential releases since authentic wildfire combustion of these fuels are usually less effective than observed in these experiments. These results indicates that the 137Cs has migrated downwards in the organic material, which imply potentially significantly more 137Cs emissions in severe wildfires with intense combustion of the organic vertical profile in peatbogs and forests. More 137Cs tended to be released during intense and efficient combustion processes, although no significant differences among combustion intensities were observed. The generated experimental data was used in an emission scenario to investigate the possible range in 137Cs emissions from a wildfire. Our study shows that a severe wildfire in a contaminated area of 10,000 ha could potentially release up to 7 TBq of 137Cs. This is the first laboratory study to investigate 137Cs release upon varying combustion conditions using real fallout contaminated organic material obtained from a boreal environment.
(Less)
- author
- Martinsson, Johan
LU
; Pédehontaa-Hiaa, Guillaume
LU
; Malmborg, Vilhelm
LU
; Madsen, Dan
LU
and Rääf, Christopher
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021-06-05
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Boreal forest environment, Combustion experiments, Radiocesium, Wildfire emissions
- in
- Science of the Total Environment
- volume
- 792
- article number
- 148310
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85107993888
- pmid:34146801
- ISSN
- 0048-9697
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148310
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Funding Information: This research was supported by grants from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences as well as the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund. The authors acknowledge Stefan Elfstrand, Stora Enso AB and AJ AB for approval of sampling on their properties. An acknowledge is also given to Mattias J?nsson and Einar Knutsson for assistance and lending of sampling equipment. Funding Information: This research was supported by grants from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences as well as the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund . The authors acknowledge Stefan Elfstrand, Stora Enso AB and AJ AB for approval of sampling on their properties. An acknowledge is also given to Mattias Jönsson and Einar Knutsson for assistance and lending of sampling equipment. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
- id
- 561a2310-1829-4fdd-8d40-736b09272b15
- date added to LUP
- 2021-07-21 13:43:46
- date last changed
- 2024-04-20 08:37:25
@article{561a2310-1829-4fdd-8d40-736b09272b15,
abstract = {{<p>Wildfires are expected to increase with warmer climate, which can contribute to the mobility and the resuspension of long-lived and potentially hazardous radionuclides. The release of <sup>137</sup>Cs during combustion of dried litter, forest floor organic soil, and peat was investigated in a small-scale experimental set-up. Combustion conditions were varied to simulate different wildfire scenarios, and the fuels were dried organic material collected in a boreal environment of Sweden that was contaminated following the Chernobyl accident in 1986. The combustion-related release of <sup>137</sup>Cs to the air was on average 29% of the initial fuel content, while 71% of the initial <sup>137</sup>Cs remained in the ashes after the combustion. Peat and forest soil had the highest releases (39% and 37%, respectively), although these numbers should be viewed as potential releases since authentic wildfire combustion of these fuels are usually less effective than observed in these experiments. These results indicates that the <sup>137</sup>Cs has migrated downwards in the organic material, which imply potentially significantly more <sup>137</sup>Cs emissions in severe wildfires with intense combustion of the organic vertical profile in peatbogs and forests. More <sup>137</sup>Cs tended to be released during intense and efficient combustion processes, although no significant differences among combustion intensities were observed. The generated experimental data was used in an emission scenario to investigate the possible range in <sup>137</sup>Cs emissions from a wildfire. Our study shows that a severe wildfire in a contaminated area of 10,000 ha could potentially release up to 7 TBq of <sup>137</sup>Cs. This is the first laboratory study to investigate <sup>137</sup>Cs release upon varying combustion conditions using real fallout contaminated organic material obtained from a boreal environment.</p>}},
author = {{Martinsson, Johan and Pédehontaa-Hiaa, Guillaume and Malmborg, Vilhelm and Madsen, Dan and Rääf, Christopher}},
issn = {{0048-9697}},
keywords = {{Boreal forest environment; Combustion experiments; Radiocesium; Wildfire emissions}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{06}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Science of the Total Environment}},
title = {{Experimental wildfire induced mobility of radiocesium in a boreal forest environment}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148310}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148310}},
volume = {{792}},
year = {{2021}},
}