Combined U-Pb isotopic signatures of U mill tailings from France and Gabon: A new potential tracer to assess their fingerprint on the environment
Résumé
Uranium milling activities have produced high volumes of long-lived radioactive processed wastes stored worldwide in near surface environment. The aim of this study is to highlight relevant tracers that can be used for environmental impact assessment studies involving U mill tailings. A multi-tracer study involving elemental content, 238 U decay products disequilibria and stable Pb isotopes was performed in different types of U mill tailings (alkaline, acid, neutralized acid) collected from five Tailings Management Facilities in France (Le Bosc, L'Ecarpière, Le Bernardan, and Bellezane) and Gabon (Mounana). Our results showed that U and Pb concentrations range between 30-594 ppm and 66-805 ppm, respectively. These tailings have a strong disequilibrium of (234 U/ 238 U) and (230 Th/ 238 U) activity ratios (1.27-1.87 and 6-65, respectively), as well as higher 206 Pb/ 207 Pb (1.86-7.15) and lower 208 Pb/ 207 Pb (0.22-2.39) compared to geochemical background ((234 U/ 238 U) and (230 Th/ 238 U) equal to unity; 206 Pb/ 207 Pb = 1.20; 208 Pb/ 207 Pb = 2.47). In situ analyses (SEM, SIMS) showed that Pb-bearing phases with high 206 Pb/ 207 Pb are related to remaining U-rich phases, S-rich phases and potentially clay minerals or oxyhydroxides. We suggest that the combination of the 206 Pb/ 207 Pb with the (234 U/ 238 U) ratio is a relevant tool for the fingerprinting of the impact of U milling activities on the environment.
Domaines
Sciences de l'environnement
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