Sequential extraction for the leachability evaluation of phosphate fertilizers

Reducing or oxidizing conditions or pH changes may enable a fraction of naturally occurring radionuclides present in phosphate fertilizers to eventually be released to the environment.Knowledge of the leachability of some components of these samples is important to estimate what, if any, contribution is made to the food chain and other water dependent pathways such as drinking water and ground water.A sequential extraction method consisting of five selective leachings was selected to simulate extreme environmental conditions and a wide range of pH that may occur in time at a site with residual radioactive contamination.