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© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
D. K. Gupta, C. Walther (eds.), Uranium in Plants and the Environment,
Radionuclides and Heavy Metals in the Environment,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14961-1_7
Uranium and Plants: Elemental
Translocation and Phytoremediation
Approaches
Dharmendra K. Gupta, Soumya Chatterjee, Anindita Mitra, Anna Voronina,
and Clemens Walther
Abstract Uranium (U) is a ubiquitous element in nature, and
238
U 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.
Keywords Uranium · Uptake · Plants · Rhizosphere · Hyperaccumulator · AMF ·
Metal transporters · Radionuclide
D. K. Gupta · C. Walther
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Radioökologie und
Strahlenschutz (IRS), Hannover, Germany
S. Chatterjee (*)
Defence Research Laboratory, DRDO, Tezpur, Assam, India
A. Mitra
Department of Zoology, Bankura Christian College, Bankura, West Bengal, India
A. Voronina
Radiochemistry and Applied Ecology Department, Physical Technology Institute,
Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
D. K. Gupta, C. Walther (eds.), Uranium in Plants and the Environment,
Radionuclides and Heavy Metals in the Environment,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14961-1_7
Uranium and Plants: Elemental
Translocation and Phytoremediation
Approaches
Dharmendra K. Gupta, Soumya Chatterjee, Anindita Mitra, Anna Voronina,
and Clemens Walther
Abstract Uranium (U) is a ubiquitous element in nature, and
238
U 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.
Keywords Uranium · Uptake · Plants · Rhizosphere · Hyperaccumulator · AMF ·
Metal transporters · Radionuclide
D. K. Gupta · C. Walther
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Radioökologie und
Strahlenschutz (IRS), Hannover, Germany
S. Chatterjee (*)
Defence Research Laboratory, DRDO, Tezpur, Assam, India
A. Mitra
Department of Zoology, Bankura Christian College, Bankura, West Bengal, India
A. Voronina
Radiochemistry and Applied Ecology Department, Physical Technology Institute,
Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia