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Uranium and Plants: Elemental Translocation and Phytoremediation Approaches

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Uranium in Plants and the Environment

Part of the book series: Radionuclides and Heavy Metals in the Environment ((RHME))

Abstract

Uranium (U) is a ubiquitous element in nature, and 238U is the most abundant radioactive isotope of uranium. Because of the use of U for military purposes in the past and increasing use of nuclear power during the last decades, U contamination in the environment, mainly as a consequence of mining, plays an increasing role. But also NORM (naturally occurring radioactive matter) industries release uranium and its progenies into the environment. Plants naturally incorporate U into their body via root uptake, where different factors play important roles and some plants are more efficient than other. This fact is made use of for plant-based remediation of contaminated sites. Selection of suitable plants that can uptake high amount of the element without affecting their growth is very important. This review deals with uranium translocation in plants with a potential for phytoremediation practices.

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Acknowledgements

S.C. sincerely acknowledges and thanks Director, DRL (DRDO), Assam, India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Radioökologie und Strahlenschutz (IRS), Hannover, Germany

    Dharmendra K. Gupta & Clemens Walther

  2. Defence Research Laboratory, DRDO, Tezpur, Assam, India

    Soumya Chatterjee

  3. Department of Zoology, Bankura Christian College, Bankura, West Bengal, India

    Anindita Mitra

  4. Radiochemistry and Applied Ecology Department, Physical Technology Institute, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia

    Anna Voronina

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  1. Dharmendra K. Gupta
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  2. Soumya Chatterjee
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  3. Anindita Mitra
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  4. Anna Voronina
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  5. Clemens Walther
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  1. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Radioökologie und Strahlenschutz (IRS), Hannover, Germany

    Dharmendra K. Gupta

  2. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Radioökologie und Strahlenschutz (IRS), Hannover, Germany

    Clemens Walther

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Gupta, D.K., Chatterjee, S., Mitra, A., Voronina, A., Walther, C. (2020). Uranium and Plants: Elemental Translocation and Phytoremediation Approaches. In: Gupta, D., Walther, C. (eds) Uranium in Plants and the Environment. Radionuclides and Heavy Metals in the Environment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14961-1_7

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