Dynamic of biogeochemical selenium cycle in terrestrial ecosystems : retention and reactivity in soil; role of vegetation

Ce travail s’inscrit dans la problématique d’évaluation de sûreté préalable au possible stockage de déchets radioactifs HAVL en couches géologiques profondes. Afin de consolider les modèles de prédiction à longue terme des risques associés à une contamination potentielle de la biosphère par le 79Se, la biogéochimie du sélénium stable a été explorée, en visant dans un premier temps un éclairage sur la dynamique du cycle global de Se dans un écosystème forestier en terme de stock et flux annuels. Suite aux résultats de la première partie, qui suggèrent l’importance du sol et son pool organique dans le cycle global de Se, deux études basées sur l’utilise des traceurs isotopique stables ont été ensuite menées afin de clarifier les processus impliqués (i) dans la rétention et la réactivité de Se dans les sols et (ii) dans la bio-incorporation de Se inorganique dans la biomasse des plantes au sein d’une fraction organique.This work was performed in the frame of the safety assessment program prior to the possible construction of an underground repository for nuclear waste (HAVL). To consolidate risk assessment models associated to a potential 79Se biosphere contamination, biogeochemistry of stable selenium was investigated, aiming firstly to highlight the dynamics of Se cycling in a forest ecosystem, in terms of inventories and annual fluxes. Consequently to these first results, which suggest a clay role of soil and its organic pool in the global Se cycle, two studies based on the use of isotopically enriched tracers were further carried out in order to clarify the processes involved in (i) Se retention and reactivity in soils and (ii) incorporation of inorganic Se within organic pool of vegetal biomass

Determination of the distribution and speciation of selenium in an argillaceous sample using chemical extractions and post-extractions analyses: application to the hydrogeological experimental site of Poitiers

International audienceTo better understand selenium’s dynamics in environmental systems, the present study aims to investigate selenium speciation and distribution in black argillaceous sediments, partially fulfilling karstic cavities into the Hydrogeological Experimental Site of Poitiers. These sediments are suspected to be responsible for selenium concentrations exceeding the European Framework Directive’s drinking water limit value (10 μg L−1) in some specific wells. A combination of a sequential extractions scheme and single parallel extractions was thus applied on a representative argillaceous sample. Impacts of the extractions on mineral dissolution and organic matter mobilization were followed by quantifying major cations and total organic carbon (TOC) in the aqueous extracts. The nature of the released organic matter was characterized using thermochemolysis coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). About 10 % of selenium from the black argillaceous studied matrix could be defined as ‘easily mobilizable’ when the majority (around 70 %) revealed associated with the aliphatic and alkaline-soluble organic matter’s fraction (about 20 %). In these fractions, selenium speciation was moreover dominated by oxidized species including a mixture of SeVI (20–30 %) and SeIV (70–80 %) in the ‘easily mobilizable’ fraction, while only SeIV was detected in alkaline-soluble organic matter fraction

Influence of Se concentrations and species in hydroponic cultures on Se uptake, translocation and assimilation in non-accumulator ryegrass

International audienceThe success of biofortification and phytoremediation practices, addressing Se deficiency and Se pollution issues, hinges crucially on the fate of selenium in the plant media in response to uptake, translocation and assimilation processes. We investigate the fate of selenium in root and shoot compartments after 3 and 6 weeks of experiment using a total of 128 plants grown in hydroponic solution supplied with 0.2, 2, 5, 20 and 100 mg L−1 of selenium in the form of selenite, selenate and a mixture of both species. Selenate-treated plants exhibited higher root-to-shoot Se translocation and total Se uptake than selenite-treated plants. Plants took advantage of the selenate mobility and presumably of the storage capacity of leaf vacuoles to circumvent selenium toxicity within the plant. Surprisingly, 28% of selenate was found in shoots of selenite-treated plants, questioning the ability of plants to oxidize selenite into selenate. Selenomethionine and methylated organo-selenium amounted to 30% and 8% respectively in shoots and 35% and 9% in roots of the identified Se, suggesting that selenium metabolization occurred concomitantly in root and shoot plant compartments and demonstrating that non-accumulator plants can synthesize notable quantities of precursor compound for volatilization. The present study demonstrated that non-accumulator plants can develop the same strategies as hyper-accumulator plants to limit selenium toxicity. When both selenate and selenite were supplied together, plants used selenate in a storage pathway and selenite in an assimilation pathway. Plants might thereby benefit from mixed supplies of selenite and selenate by saving enzymes and energy required for selenate reduction. © 2016 Elsevier Masson SA

Dynamics of selenium cycling in deciduous forests

International audienceSelenium is a trace element with major environmental implications, due to the extremely narrow range between its essential and toxic concentrations. Furthermore, the significant inventory of 79Se within high level radioactive waste coupled with its long physical half-life makes the study of stable Se behavior (as a surrogate of 79Se) important for our understanding of the long-term safety of any radioactive waste repository

A new methodology involving stable isotope tracer to compare simultaneously short- and long-term selenium mobility in soils

cited By 11International audienceA better understanding of Se fate in soils is required for different environmental issues, such as radioactive waste management or soil fertilization procedures. In these contexts, the mobility and speciation of Se have to be studied at both short and long terms after Se inputs. Here, we present a new methodology to monitor simultaneously the reactivity of added (isotopic enriched tracers) and ambient Se at trace level in soils by high-performance liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) following specific extractions. To do so, the collision/reaction cell of the ICP-MS instrument and the interference corrections were optimized to measure reliably the four major Se isotopes. To exemplify the method capabilities, the behaviors of added 77Se(IV) and ambient Se were followed up in two soils submitted to an ageing process during 3 months. The solid/liquid distribution of added Se reached a steady state after 1 month while its speciation and distribution among soil solid phases were still changing after 3 months. The results clearly demonstrate that slow processes are involved in Se retention and transformation in soils. The usual short-term experiments (<1 month) performed after Se addition are thus not suitable for long-term risk assessment. Interestingly, the behavior of added Se tended to that of ambient Se, suggesting that ambient Se would be useful to infer the fate of Se input over long time scales. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg