The Biogeochemistry of tungsten (W) in the plant-soil environment
Abstract
Tungsten (W) is an economically important transition metal that finds a broad scope of applications ranging from household necessities to high-end technology goods. However, in the past decades, increasing industrial and military use of W-based products (particularly ammunition, as well as drilling, milling and cutting tools) opened new pathways of W into natural systems and raise the need for a better understanding of the behaviour of W in the environment. Soils play a particularly important role in controlling the bioavilability of pollutants and their entry into the food web via plant uptake as they serve as filter and buffer systems. However, compared to other trace metals, knowledge about the fate of W in the plant-soil environment is rather sketchy. This project therefore aims at providing crucial information on W solubility, speciation and partitioning in soils governed by important soil chemical properties like pH. Considering the chemical similarity of W and Mo, an essential micronutrient involved in the plant N cycle, we will also explore W uptake and partitioning within the plant and the effect of elevated W concentrations on plant biomass production, N assimilation, symbiontic N2 fixation and on plant metabolic reactions. By linking operationally defined chemical W pools in soil with W accumulation in the plant biomass, results of this project will provide a sound basis for assessing the potential entry of W into food web. Furthermore, the impact of plant-soil interactions (rhizosphere processes) on W solubility in the close vicinity of roots will be elucidated using 2D imaging techniques. By combining conventional techniques with novel methods and high-end analytical tools this project will deliver completely new insights into the behaviour of W in natural systems and provide valuable information on W fluxes in the plant-soil environment. Furthermore results will serve as basis for future risk assessment and management of W contamination in the environment.
Tungsten (W) Soil properties W speciation Plant uptake pH
Publikationen
Project staff
Eva Oburger
Priv.-Doz. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Eva Oburger
eva.oburger@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91163
Project Leader
01.05.2014 - 31.12.2019
Christina Hummel
Dipl.-Ing. Christina Hummel
christina.hummel@boku.ac.at
Project Staff
01.02.2019 - 31.12.2019
BOKU partners
External partners
University of Vienna, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Research
Andreas Richter
partner