Reducing the risk for the biota by reusing a NORM residue
All biota is exposed to natural radiation, the soil being the major source of radionuclides. Phosphogypsum is classified as a NORM residue of the phosphate fertilizer industry, often used in agriculture, as a soil conditioner. This residue is stored in stacks by the phosphate industries, potentially...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Brazilian Radiation Protection Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Proteção Radiológica, SBPR)
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://bjrs.org.br/revista/index.php/REVISTA/article/view/1715 |
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| author | Marcelo Bessa Nisti Fernanda Cavalcante Catia Heloisa Rosignoli Saueia Barbara Paci Mazzilli |
| author_facet | Marcelo Bessa Nisti Fernanda Cavalcante Catia Heloisa Rosignoli Saueia Barbara Paci Mazzilli |
| author_sort | Marcelo Bessa Nisti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | All biota is exposed to natural radiation, the soil being the major source of radionuclides. Phosphogypsum is classified as a NORM residue of the phosphate fertilizer industry, often used in agriculture, as a soil conditioner. This residue is stored in stacks by the phosphate industries, potentially posing environmental risks. The aim of this study is to compare the risk for the terrestrial and aquatic biota arising from the storage of PG residue in the environment with that arising from its reuse as soil amendment. For this purpose, typical Brazilian soils amended with PG and PG itself were leached with distilled water. The concentration of natural radionuclides in the soil samples were used to evaluate the risk for terrestrial and aquatic biota, using the ERICA Tool. The results for terrestrial biota exposed to soils amended with phosphogypsum showed a risk reduction of about 85%, when compared to the exposure arising from phosphogypsum stacks. Considering the aquatic biota, the results showed a risk reduction of about 46% when comparing to radionuclide concentrations in leachates from phosphogypsum and from the soils amended with phosphogypsum. A new risk reduction assessment was performed to determine exclusively the contribution of the application of PG to the soil using the soil without PG, the risk reduction for terrestrial biota was of 99% and aquatic biota was a 74% reduction. Finally, it can be concluded that the addition of phosphogypsum in soils reduces the risk quotient related to the exposure of terrestrial and aquatic biota, showing that this is a safe practice. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-15f87aa9ebc949e9841306459112a010 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2319-0612 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | Brazilian Radiation Protection Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Proteção Radiológica, SBPR) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-15f87aa9ebc949e9841306459112a0102025-08-20T03:13:11ZengBrazilian Radiation Protection Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Proteção Radiológica, SBPR)Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences2319-06122022-02-0110110.15392/bjrs.v10i1.17151336Reducing the risk for the biota by reusing a NORM residueMarcelo Bessa Nisti0Fernanda Cavalcante1Catia Heloisa Rosignoli Saueia2Barbara Paci Mazzilli3Nuclear Energy Research InstituteNuclear Energy Research InstituteNuclear Energy Research InstituteNuclear Energy Research InstituteAll biota is exposed to natural radiation, the soil being the major source of radionuclides. Phosphogypsum is classified as a NORM residue of the phosphate fertilizer industry, often used in agriculture, as a soil conditioner. This residue is stored in stacks by the phosphate industries, potentially posing environmental risks. The aim of this study is to compare the risk for the terrestrial and aquatic biota arising from the storage of PG residue in the environment with that arising from its reuse as soil amendment. For this purpose, typical Brazilian soils amended with PG and PG itself were leached with distilled water. The concentration of natural radionuclides in the soil samples were used to evaluate the risk for terrestrial and aquatic biota, using the ERICA Tool. The results for terrestrial biota exposed to soils amended with phosphogypsum showed a risk reduction of about 85%, when compared to the exposure arising from phosphogypsum stacks. Considering the aquatic biota, the results showed a risk reduction of about 46% when comparing to radionuclide concentrations in leachates from phosphogypsum and from the soils amended with phosphogypsum. A new risk reduction assessment was performed to determine exclusively the contribution of the application of PG to the soil using the soil without PG, the risk reduction for terrestrial biota was of 99% and aquatic biota was a 74% reduction. Finally, it can be concluded that the addition of phosphogypsum in soils reduces the risk quotient related to the exposure of terrestrial and aquatic biota, showing that this is a safe practice.https://bjrs.org.br/revista/index.php/REVISTA/article/view/1715risk reductionerica toolbiota exposurenatural radionuclidesphosphogypsumnorm |
| spellingShingle | Marcelo Bessa Nisti Fernanda Cavalcante Catia Heloisa Rosignoli Saueia Barbara Paci Mazzilli Reducing the risk for the biota by reusing a NORM residue Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences risk reduction erica tool biota exposure natural radionuclides phosphogypsum norm |
| title | Reducing the risk for the biota by reusing a NORM residue |
| title_full | Reducing the risk for the biota by reusing a NORM residue |
| title_fullStr | Reducing the risk for the biota by reusing a NORM residue |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reducing the risk for the biota by reusing a NORM residue |
| title_short | Reducing the risk for the biota by reusing a NORM residue |
| title_sort | reducing the risk for the biota by reusing a norm residue |
| topic | risk reduction erica tool biota exposure natural radionuclides phosphogypsum norm |
| url | https://bjrs.org.br/revista/index.php/REVISTA/article/view/1715 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marcelobessanisti reducingtheriskforthebiotabyreusinganormresidue AT fernandacavalcante reducingtheriskforthebiotabyreusinganormresidue AT catiaheloisarosignolisaueia reducingtheriskforthebiotabyreusinganormresidue AT barbarapacimazzilli reducingtheriskforthebiotabyreusinganormresidue |