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Dependence of radionuclide transfer factor on growth stage for a soil-lettuce plant system

Authors :
S. Alfieri
Filippo Terrasi
Antonio D'Onofrio
G. Migliore
Carmine Lubritto
Carlo Sabbarese
Luisa Stellato
A. Ermice
M. F. Cotrufo
Sabbarese, Carlo
Stellato, L
Cotrufo, M. F.
D'Onofrio, Antonio
Ermice, Antonella
Lubritto, Carmine
Terrasi, Filippo
Alfieri, S
Migliore, G.
Source :
Environmental Modelling & Software. 17:545-551
Publication Year :
2002
Publisher :
Elsevier BV, 2002.

Abstract

An experiment was performed at the Nuclear Power Plant of Garigliano (Caserta, Italy) to study the transfer of radionuclides from a contaminated soil to a lettuce crop and to check the validity of the generally accepted assumption of constant uptake. Measurements of specific activities of 137Cs, 60Co, and 40K were periodically performed by sampling plants during a growth period of 48 days. The specific activity was analysed as a function of plant mass and growth time to gain information on the dependence of radionuclide sorption on plant growth stage. The results (time-dependent uptake rate) were interpreted using a dynamic model which generalizes the transfer factor. In this model, the time dependence of the transfer factor is characterized by three parameters obtained from a non linear least-squares fit to the data. The resulting values were found to be dependent on the radionuclide. The relative growth rate of lettuce plants plays an important role in the transport process: maximum radionuclide transport occurs at 12 d for 60Co and 137Cs and 28 d for 40K. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Details

ISSN :
13648152
Volume :
17
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Environmental Modelling & Software
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....025503d195baa8b692d3577a93ba2d32
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/s1364-8152(02)00020-8