UPTAKE OF URANIUM BY PLANTS GROWING AROUND AN OLD URANIUM MILL TAILING IN NORTHEAST CHINA

In the uranium mining areas, uranium was usually discharged to the environment when the mining process occurred. A study was undertaken to investigate uranium concentrations in soil and plants around an old uranium mill tailing in northeast China. As a result, eight plant species samples were collected- including five families. Concentrations of uranium (diy weight. DW) in plants showed wide range of variations from 42.7 ug/g (roots of Cichorium intybus) to 0.180 yg/g (stems of Erigeron an-nuus). The contents of uranium in Compositae were higher than that of other plants species in the investigated samples, and which in plant tissues were roots > leaves > stems. Oenothera biennis displayed a high roots concentration ratio (CR) of 4.90 (mean value), followed by Cichorium intybus (2.98) and Artemisia mongolica (2.85). The species Lepidium apetalum leaves exhibited the maximum transportation factor (TF) of 0.626 (mean value) in this study. In summary, Artemisia mongolica and Oenothera biennis showed relatively high ability to remove uranium from their ambient soil, and could be used greatly towards phytoremediation in the study area.