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Edward R. Landa

Publications and source records attributed to Edward R. Landa.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2015

Biogeochemical aspects of uranium mineralization, mining, milling, and remediation

Natural uranium (U) occurs as a mixture of three radioactive isotopes: 238 U, 235 U, and 234 U. Only 235 U is fissionable and makes up about 0.7% of natural U, while 238 U is overwhelmingly the most abundant at greater than 99% of the total mass of U. Prior to the 1940s, U was predominantly used as a coloring agent, and U-bearing ores were mined mainly for their radium (Ra) and/or vanadium (V) content; the bulk of the U was discarded with the tailings (Finch et al., 1972). Once nuclear fission was discovered, the economic importance of U increased greatly. The mining and milling of U-bearing ores is the first step in the nuclear fuel cycle, and the contact of residual waste with natural water is a potential source of contamination of U and associated elements to the environment. Uranium is mined by three basic methods: surface (open pit), underground, and solution mining (in situ leaching or in situ recovery), depending on the deposit grade, size, location, geology and economic considerations (Abdelouas, 2006). Solid wastes at U mill tailings (UMT) sites can include both standard tailings (i.e., leached ore rock residues) and solids generated on site by waste treatment processes. The latter can include sludge or “mud” from neutralization of acidic mine/mill effluents, containing Fe and a range of coprecipitated constituents, or barium sulfate precipitates that selectively remove Ra (e.g., Carvalho et al., 2007). In this chapter, we review the hydrometallurgical processes by which U is extracted from ore, the biogeochemical processes that can affect the fate and transport of U and associated elements in the environment, and possible remediation strategies for site closure and aquifer restoration. This paper represents the fourth in a series of review papers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on geochemical aspects of UMT management that span more than three decades. The first paper (Landa, 1980) in this series is a primer on the nature of tailings and radionuclide mobilization from them. The second paper (Landa, 1999) includes coverage of research carried out under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Program (UMTRA). The third paper (Landa, 2004) reflects the increased focus of researchers on biotic effects in UMT environs. This paper expands the focus to U mining, milling, and remedial actions, and includes extensive coverage of the increasingly important alkaline in situ recovery and groundwater restoration.

Applied Geochemistry↗
USGS2015

Ahead of his time: Jacob Lipman's 1930 estimate of atmospheric sulfur deposition for the conterminous United States

A 1936 New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin provided an early quantitative assessment of atmospheric deposition of sulfur for the United States that has been compared in this study with more recent assessments. In the early 20th century, anthropogenic sulfur additions from the atmosphere to the soil by the combustion of fossil fuels were viewed as part of the requisite nutrient supply of crops. Jacob G. Lipman, the founding editor of Soil Science, and his team at Rutgers University, made an inventory of such additions to soils of the conterminous United States during the economic depression of the 1930s as part of a federally funded project looking at nutrient balances in soils. Lipman's team gathered data compiled by the US Bureau of Mines on coal and other fuel consumption by state and calculated the corresponding amounts of sulfur emitted. Their work pioneered a method of assessment that became the norm in the 1970s to 1980s—when acid rain emerged as a national issue. Lipman's estimate of atmospheric sulfur deposition in the 1930 is in reasonable agreement with recent historic reconstructions.

Soil Science↗
USGS2014

Pollen dispersal by catapult: Experiments of Lyman J. Briggs on the flower of mountain laurel

The flower of Kalmia latifolia L. employs a catapult mechanism that flings its pollen to considerable distances. Physicist Lyman J. Briggs investigated this phenomenon in the 1950s after retiring as longtime director of the National Bureau of Standards, attempting to explain how hydromechanical effects inside the flower’s stamen could make it possible. Briggs’s unfinished manuscript implies that liquid under negative pressure generates stress, which, superimposed on the stress generated from the flower’s growth habit, results in force adequate to propel the pollen as observed. With new data and biophysical understanding to supplement Briggs’s experimental results and research notes, we show that his postulated negative-pressure mechanism did not play the exclusive and crucial role that he credited to it, though his revisited investigation sheds light on various related processes. Important issues concerning the development and reproductive function of Kalmia flowers remain unresolved, highlighting the need for further biophysical advances.

Physics in Perspective↗
USGS2013

Arsenic and mercury in the soils of an industrial city in the Donets Basin, Ukraine

Soil and house dust collected in and around Hg mines and a processing facility in Horlivka, a mid-sized city in the Donets Basin of southeastern Ukraine, have elevated As and Hg levels. Surface soils collected at a former Hg-processing facility had up to 1300 mg kg −1 As and 8800 mg kg −1 Hg; 1M HCl extractions showed 74–93% of the total As, and 1–13% of the total Hg to be solubilized, suggesting differential environmental mobility between these elements. In general, lower extractability of As and Hg was seen in soil samples up to 12 km from the Hg-processing facility, and the extractable (1M HCl, synthetic precipitation, deionized water) fractions of As are greater than those for Hg, indicating that Hg is present in a more resistant form than As. The means (standard deviation) of total As and Hg in grab samples collected from playgrounds and public spaces within 12 km of the industrial facility were 64 (±38) mg kg −1 As and 12 (±9.4) mg kg −1 Hg; all concentrations are elevated compared to regional soils. The mean concentrations of As and Hg in dust from homes in Horlivka were 5–15 times higher than dust from homes in a control city. Estimates of possible exposure to As and Hg through inadvertent soil ingestion are provided.

Donets Basin↗
USGS2010

Zn and Cu isotopes as tracers of anthropogenic contamination in a sediment core from an urban lake

In this work, we use stable Zn and Cu isotopes to identify the sources and timing of the deposition of these metals in a sediment core from Lake Ballinger near Seattle, Washington, USA. The base of the Lake Ballinger core predates settlement in the region, while the upper sections record the effects of atmospheric emissions from a nearby smelter and rapid urbanization of the watershed. δ 66 Zn and δ 65 Cu varied by 0.50‰ and 0.29‰, respectively, over the 500 year core record. Isotopic changes were correlated with the presmelter period (∼1450 to 1900 with δ 66 Zn = +0.39‰ ± 0.09‰ and δ 65 Cu = +0.77‰ ± 0.06‰), period of smelter operation (1900 to 1985 with δ 66 Zn = +0.14 ± 0.06‰ and δ 65 Cu = +0.94 ± 0.10‰), and postsmelting/stable urban land use period (post 1985 with δ 66 Zn = 0.00 ± 0.10‰ and δ 65 Cu = +0.82‰ ± 0.12‰). Rapid early urbanization during the post World War II era increased metal loading to the lake but did not significantly alter the δ 66 Zn and δ 65 Cu, suggesting that increased metal loads during this time were derived mainly from mobilization of historically contaminated soils. Urban sources of Cu and Zn were dominant since the smelter closed in the 1980s, and the δ 66 Zn measured in tire samples suggests tire wear is a likely source of Zn.

Washington↗
USGS2010

Chemical fractionation of Cu and Zn in stormwater, roadway dust and stormwater pond sediments

This study evaluated the chemical fractionation of Cu and Zn from source to deposition in a stormwater system. Cu and Zn concentrations and chemical fractionation were determined for roadway dust, roadway runoff and pond sediments. Stormwater Cu and Zn concentrations were used to generate cumulative frequency distributions to characterize potential exposure to pond-dwelling organisms. Dissolved stormwater Zn exceeded USEPA acute and chronic water quality criteria in approximately 20% of storm samples and 20% of the storm duration sampled. Dissolved Cu exceeded the previously published chronic criterion in 75% of storm samples and duration and exceeded the acute criterion in 45% of samples and duration. The majority of sediment Cu (92–98%) occurred in the most recalcitrant phase, suggesting low bioavailability; Zn was substantially more available (39–62% recalcitrant). Most sediment concentrations for Cu and Zn exceeded published threshold effect concentrations and Zn often exceeded probable effect concentrations in surface sediments.

Environmental Pollution↗
USGS2005

Bottled water, spas, and early years of water chemistry

Although hot springs have been used and enjoyed for thousands of years, it was not until the late 1700s that they changed the course of world civilization by being the motivation for development of the science of chemistry. The pioneers of chemistry such as Priestley, Cavendish, Lavoisier, and Henry were working to identify and generate gases, in part, to determine their role in carbonated beverages. In the 18th century, spas in America were developed to follow the traditional activities of popular European spas. However, they were to become a dominant political and economic force in American history on three major points: (1) By far the most important was to provide a place for the leaders of individual colonies to meet and discuss the need for separation from England and the necessity for the Revolutionary War; (2) the westward expansion of the United States was facilitated by the presence of hot springs in many locations that provided the economic justification for railroads and settlement; and (3) the desire for the preservation of hot springs led to the establishment of the National Park Service. Although mineral springs have maintained their therapeutic credibility in many parts of the world, they have not done so in the United States. We suggest that the American decline was prompted by: (1) the establishment of The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1893; (2) enactment of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1907; and (3) the remarkable achievement of providing safe water supplies for American cities by the end of the 1920s. The current expanding market for bottled water is based in part on bottled water being an alternative beverage Ito alcohol and sweetened drinks and the inconsistent palatability and perceived health hazards of some tap waters.

Groundwater↗
USGS2005

Microbial biogeochemistry of uranium mill tailings

Uranium mill tailings (UMT) are the crushed ore residues from the extraction of uranium (U) from ores. Among the radioactive wastes associated with the nuclear fuel cycle, UMT are unique in terms of their volume and their limited isolation from the surficial environment. For this latter reason, their management and long-term fate has many interfaces with environmental microbial communities and processes. The interactions of microorganisms with UMT have been shown to be diverse and with significant consequences for radionuclide mobility and bioremediation. These radionuclides are associated with the U-decay series. The addition of organic carbon and phosphate is required to initiate the reduction of the U present in the groundwater down gradient of the mills. Investigations on sediment and water from the U-contaminated aquifer, indicates that the addition of a carbon source stimulates the rate of U removal by microbial reduction. Moreover, most attention with respect to passive or engineered removal of U from groundwaters focuses on iron-reducing and sulfate-reducing bacteria.

Advances in Applied Microbiology↗
USGS2005

Review of the transport of selected radionuclides in the interim risk assessment for the Radioactive Waste Management Complex, Waste Area Group 7 Operable Unit 7-13/14, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) requested that the U.S. Geological Survey conduct an independent technical review of the Interim Risk Assessment (IRA) and Contaminant Screening for the Waste Area Group 7 (WAG-7) Remedial Investigation, the draft Addendum to the Work Plan for Operable Unit 7-13/14 WAG-7 comprehensive Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS), and supporting documents that were prepared by Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies, Inc. The purpose of the technical review was to assess the data and geotechnical approaches that were used to estimate future risks associated with the release of the actinides americium, uranium, neptunium, and plutonium to the Snake River Plain aquifer from wastes buried in pits and trenches at the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA). The SDA is located at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex in southeastern Idaho within the boundaries of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. Radionuclides have been buried in pits and trenches at the SDA since 1957 and 1952, respectively. Burial of transuranic wastes was discontinued in 1982. The five specific tasks associated with this review were defined in a ?Proposed Scope of Work? prepared by the DOE, and a follow-up workshop held in June 1998. The specific tasks were (1) to review the radionuclide sampling data to determine how reliable and significant are the reported radionuclide detections and how reliable is the ongoing sampling program, (2) to assess the physical and chemical processes that logically can be invoked to explain true detections, (3) to determine if distribution coefficients that were used in the IRA are reliable and if they have been applied properly, (4) to determine if transport model predictions are technically sound, and (5) to identify issues needing resolution to determine technical adequacy of the risk assessment analysis, and what additional work is required to resolve those issues.

Idaho↗
USGS2003

The life and scientific contributions of Lyman J. Briggs

Lyman J. Briggs (1874–1963), an early twentieth century physicist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), made many significant contributions to our understanding of soil-water and plant-water interactions. He began his career at the Bureau of Soils (BOS) in 1896. At age 23, Briggs published (1897) a description of the roles of surface tension and gravity in determining the state of static soil moisture. Concepts he presented remain central to this subject more than 100 yr later. With J.W. McLane, Briggs developed the “moisture equivalent” concept (a precursor to the idea of field capacity) and a centrifuge apparatus for measuring it. Briggs left the BOS at the end of 1905, under pressure from Milton Whitney, and moved to the Bureau of Plant Industry. Briggs' multi-state experiments with H.L. Shantz on water-use efficiencies showed that in a climate like that of the Great Plains, plants use water more productively in the cooler north than in the warmer south. In 1920, he moved from the USDA to the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), rising to Director in 1933. Among his other contributions to the American scientific community was his leadership, beginning in 1939, of a top secret committee that evolved into the Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb during World War II. A life-long baseball fan, Briggs at age 84, studied the speed, spin, and deflection of the curve ball, aided by manager Cookie Lavagetto and the pitching staff of the Washington Senators; he published these findings in a paper in the American Journal of Physics in 1959.

Soil Science Society of America Journal↗
USGS2000

Geochemical investigations by the U.S. Geological Survey on uranium mining, milling, and environmental restoration

Recent research by the U.S. Geological Survey has characterized contaminant sources and identified important geochemical processes that influence transport of radionuclides from uranium mining and milling wastes. 1) Selective extraction studies indicated that alkaline earth sulfates and hydrous ferric oxides are important hosts of 226 Ra in uranium mill tailings. The action of sulfate-reducing and ironreducing bacteria on these phases was shown to enhance release of radium, and this adverse result may temper decisions to dispose of uranium mill tailings in anaerobic environments. 2) Field studies have shown that although surface-applied sewage sludge/wood chip amendments aid in revegetating pyritic spoil, the nitrogen in sludge leachate can enhance pyrite oxidation, acidification of groundwater, and the consequent mobilization of metals and radionuclides. 3) In a U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyfunded study, three permeable reactive barriers consisting of phosphate-rich material, zero-valent iron, or amorphous ferric oxyhydroxide have been installed at an abandoned uranium upgrader facility near Fry Canyon, UT. Preliminary results indicate that each of the permeable reactive barriers is removing the majority of the uranium from the groundwater. 4) Studies on the geochemistry of rare earth elements as analogues for actinides such as uranium and thorium in acid mine drainage environments indicate high mobility under acid-weathering conditions but measurable attenuation associated with iron and aluminum colloid formation. Mass balances from field and laboratory studies are being used to quantify the amount of attenuation. 5) A field study in Colorado demonstrated the use of 234 U/ 238 U isotopic ratio measurements to evaluate contamination of shallow groundwater with uranium mill effluent.

Utah↗
USGS1998

Transport of 137Cs and 239,240Pu with ice-rafted debris in the Arctic Ocean

Ice rafting is the dominant mechanism responsible for the transport of fine-grained sediments from coastal zones to the deep Arctic Basin. Therefore, the drift of ice-rafted debris (IRD) could be a significant transport mechanism from the shelf to the deep basin for radionuclides originating from nuclear fuel cycle activities and released to coastal Arctic regions of the former Soviet Union. In this study, 28 samples of IRD collected from the Arctic ice pack during expeditions in 1989-95 were analyzed for 137Cs by gamma spectrometry and for 239Pu and 240Pu by thermal ionization mass spectrometry. 137Cs concentrations in the IRD ranged from less than 0.2 to 78 Bq/kg (dry weight basis). The two samples with the highest 137Cs concentrations were collected in the vicinity of Franz Josef Land, and their backward trajectories suggest origins in the Kara Sea. Among the lowest 137Cs values are seven measured on sediments entrained on the North American shelf in 1989 and 1995, and sampled on the shelf less than six months later. Concentrations of 239Pu + 240Pu ranged from about 0.02 to 1.8 Bq/kg. The two highest values came from samples collected in the central Canada Basin and near Spitsbergen; calculated backward trajectories suggest at least 14 years of circulation in the Canada Basin in the former case, and an origin near Severnaya Zemlya (at the Kara Sea/Laptev Sea boundary) in the latter case. While most of the IRD samples showed 240Pu/239Pu ratios near the mean global fallout value of 0.185, five of the samples had lower ratios, in the 0.119 to 0.166 range, indicative of mixtures of Pu from fallout and from the reprocessing of weapons-grade Pu. The backward trajectories of these five samples suggest origins in the Kara Sea or near Severnaya Zemlya.

Arctic↗
USGS1995

Remediation of uranium contaminated soils with bicarbonate extraction and microbial U(VI) reduction

A process for concentrating uranium from contaminated soils in which the uranium is first extracted with bicarbonate and then the extracted uranium is precipitated with U(VI)-reducing microorganisms was evaluated for a variety of uranuum-contaminated soils. Bicarbonate (100 mM) extracted 20–94% of the uranium that was extracted with nitric acid. The U(VI)-reducing microorganism, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans reduced the U(VI) to U(IV) in the bicarbonate extracts. In some instances unidentified dissolved extracted components, presumably organics, gave the extract a yellow color and inhibited U(VI) reduction and/or the precipitation of U(IV). Removal of the dissolved yellow material with the addition of hydrogen peroxide alleviated this inhibition. These results demonstrate that bicarbonate extraction of uranium from soil followed by microbial U(VI) reduction might be an effective mechanism for concentrating uranium from some contaminated soils.

Journal of Industrial Microbiology↗
USGS1995

Sorption and coprecipitation of trace concentrations of thorium with various minerals under conditions simulating an acid uranium mill effluent environment

Sorption of thorium by pre-existing crystals of anglesite (PbSO 4 ), apatite (Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 (HO)), barite (BaSO 4 ), bentonite (Na 0.7 Al 3.3 Mg 0.7 Si 8 O 20 (OH) 4 ), celestite (SrSO 4 ), fluorite (CaF 2 ), galena (PbS), gypsum (CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O), hematite (Fe 2 O 3 ), jarosite (KFe 3 (SO 4 ) 2 (OH) 6 ), kaolinite (Al 2 O 3 ·2SiO 2 ·2H 2 O), quartz (SiO 2 ) and sodium feldspar (NaAlSi 3 O 8 ) was studied under conditions that simulate an acidic uranium mill effluent environment. Up to 100% removal of trace quantitiees of thorim (approx. 1.00 ppm in 0.01 N H 2 SO 4 ) from solution occurred within 3 h with fluorite and within 48 h in the case of bentonite. Quartz, jarosite, hematite, sodium feldspar, gypsum and galena removed less than 15% of the thorium from solution. In the coprecipitation studies, barite, anglesite, gypsum and celestite were formed in the presence of thorium (approx. 1.00 ppm). Approximately all of the thorium present in solution coprecipitated with barite and celestite; 95% coprecipitated with anglesite and less than 5% with gypsum under similar conditions. When jarosite was precipitated in the presence of thorium, a significant amount of thorium (78%) was incorporated in the precipitate.

Inorganica Chimica Acta↗
USGS1985

Dissolution of alkaline earth sulfates in the presence of montmorillonite

In a study of the effect of montmorillonite on the dissolution of BaSO4 (barite), SrSO4 (celestite), and 226Ra from U mill tailings, it was found that: (1) More of these substances dissolve in an aqueous system that contains montmorillonite than dissolve in a similar system without clay, due to the ion exchange properties of the clay; (2) Na-montmorillonite is more effective in aiding dissolution than is Ca-montmorillonite; (3) the amount of Ra that moves from mill tailings to an exchanger increases as solution sulfate activity decreases. Leaching experiments suggest that 226Ra from H2SO4-circuit U mill tailings from Edgemont, South Dakota, is not present as pure Ra sulfate or as an impurity in anhydrite or gypsum; it is less soluble, and probably occurs as a trace constituent in barite.

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution↗