Accumulation of (241)Am by suspended matter, diatoms and aquatic weeds of the Yenisei River.

In this work we experimentally estimated the capacities of the key components of the Yenisei River (Russia): particulate suspended matter (seston), diatom microalgae, and submerged macrophytes for accumulating (241)Am from water. In our experiments large particles of seston (>8mum), comparable in size with diatoms, took up most of americium from water. The accumulation of americium by isolated diatom algae (Asterionella formosa and Diatoma vulgare) was lower than by total seston. The concentration factors (CFs) of (241)Am for seston of the Yenisei River in our experiments were (2.8-6.9).10(5); for diatoms - (1.5-4.2).10(4). The CFs for aquatic plant Elodea canadensis were within the same order of magnitude as those for diatoms. Activity concentration and CFs of (241)Am were nearly the same in experiments under dark and light conditions. This is indicative of an energy independent mechanism of americium uptake from the water by diatoms and submerged macrophytes. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.