title: Isotopic Tracing of Thallium Contamination in Soils Affected by Emissions from Coal-Fired Power Plants.
abstract: Here, for the first time, we report the thallium (Tl) isotope record in moderately contaminated soils with contrasting land management (forest and meadow soils), which have been affected by emissions from coal-fired power plants. Our findings clearly demonstrate that Tl of anthropogenic (high-temperature) origin with light isotope composition was deposited onto the studied soils, where heavier Tl (ε(205)Tl ∼ -1) naturally occurs. The results show a positive linear relationship (R(2) = 0.71) between 1/Tl and the isotope record, as determined for all the soils and bedrocks, also indicative of binary Tl mixing between two dominant reservoirs. We also identified significant Tl isotope variations within the products from coal combustion and thermo-desorption experiments with local Tl-rich coal pyrite. Bottom ash exhibited the heaviest Tl isotope composition (ε(205)Tl ∼ 0), followed by fly ash (ε(205)Tl between -2.5 and -2.8) and volatile Tl fractions (ε(205)Tl between -6.2 and -10.3), suggesting partial Tl isotope fractionations. Despite the evident role of soil processes in the isotope redistributions, we demonstrate that Tl contamination can be traced in soils and propose that the isotope data represent a possible tool to aid our understanding of postdepositional Tl dynamics in surface environments for the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague , Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Aleš
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vaněk
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague , Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zuzana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Grösslová
authors.affiliation: Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague , Albertov 6, 128 43 Praha 2, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mihaljevič
authors.affiliation: Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague , Albertov 6, 128 43 Praha 2, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jakub
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Trubač
authors.affiliation: Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague , Albertov 6, 128 43 Praha 2, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Vojtěch
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ettler
authors.affiliation: Department of Economic Geology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia , Bedzinska 60, Sosnowiec 41-200, Poland.
authors.forename: Leslaw
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Teper
authors.affiliation: Department of Economic Geology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia , Bedzinska 60, Sosnowiec 41-200, Poland.
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cabala
authors.affiliation: Institute of Geology of the CAS, v.v.i. , Rozvojová 269, 165 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rohovec
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague , Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Tereza
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zádorová
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague , Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Vít
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Penížek
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague , Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pavlů
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague , Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ondřej
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Holubík
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague , Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Němeček
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague , Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jakub
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Houška
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague , Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ondřej
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Drábek
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague , Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ash
mesh_terms: D003031:Coal; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D011210:Power Plants; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D013793:Thallium
chemical_list: D003031:Coal; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D013793:Thallium