Apatite weathering as a geological driver of high uranium concentrations in groundwater

Banning, Andre; Rüde, Thomas

Apatite weathering as a geological driver of high uranium concentrations in groundwater

dc.contributor.author	Banning, Andre
dc.contributor.author	Rüde, Thomas
dc.date.accessioned	2021-12-08T12:16:41Z
dc.date.available	2021-12-08T12:16:41Z
dc.date.issued	2015-05-09
dc.date.updated	2021-11-23T15:23:51Z
dc.description.abstract	Uranium is a heavy metal with potential adverse human health effects when consumed via drinking water. Although associated quality regulations have been implemented, geological sources and hydrogeochemical behavior of uranium in groundwater used for drinking water supply remain little understood. This study presents a hydrogeochemical and mineralogical characterization of a Triassic sandstone aquifer on a macro- and micro-scale, and an evaluation of uranium remobilization into groundwater, also considering the paleoenvironment and the distribution of the affected aquifer itself. Syndiagenetic uraniferous carbonate fluorapatite inclusions within the aquifer sandstones (“active arkoses”) were found to show structurally (chemical substitution in the crystal structure) and radiatively (α-recoil damage from uranium decay) enhanced mineral solubility. Extraction experiments indicated that these inclusions release uranium to groundwater during weathering. In conclusion, apatite alteration was identified as the responsible mechanism for widespread groundwater uranium concentrations >10 μg L−1 in the region representing Germany’s most significant problem area in this respect. Therefore, results indicate that the studied sedimentary apatite deposits cause the regional geogenic groundwater uranium problem, and must be considered as potential uranium sources in comparable areas worldwide.	en
dc.description.status	Peer reviewed	en
dc.description.version	Accepted Version	en
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en
dc.identifier.citation	Banning, A. and Rüde, T. R. (2015) 'Apatite weathering as a geological driver of high uranium concentrations in groundwater', Applied Geochemistry, 59, pp. 139-146. doi: 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2015.05.002	en
dc.identifier.doi	10.1016/j.apgeochem.2015.05.002	en
dc.identifier.endpage	146	en
dc.identifier.issn	0883-2927
dc.identifier.journaltitle	Applied Geochemistry	en
dc.identifier.startpage	139	en
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/10468/12331
dc.identifier.volume	59	en
dc.language.iso	en	en
dc.publisher	Elsevier	en
dc.relation.uri	https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883292715001158
dc.rights	© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license	en
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/	en
dc.subject	Uranium	en
dc.subject	Groundwater	en
dc.subject	Groundwater pollution	en
dc.title	Apatite weathering as a geological driver of high uranium concentrations in groundwater	en
dc.type	Article (peer-reviewed)	en