skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Kinetics of the adsorption of radionuclides on tuff from Yucca Mountain

Abstract

The sorption of simple cations in tuff is dominated by adsorption on aluminosilicates that have charged surfaces, such as zeolites and clays. The most significant sorbing minerals present in Nevada tuff are clinoptilolite, heulandite, mordenite, and montmorillonite. The kinetics of sorption on tuffs containing the minerals clinoptilolite and montmorillonite has been determined by studying the uptake of strontium, cesium, and barium on thin tuff wafers. The rate constants for uptake of these elements on tuff are consistent with a model of sorption that is diffusion limited but where diffusion occurs in two stages. First the cations diffuse into the rock through the water-filled pore space. Next, the cations must diffuse into the much narrower channels within the aluminosilicate crystals. After they are within the zeolite framework or between the clay planes, the cations may rapidly sorb on the negatively charged surfaces. The actinide elements have a time constant for the apparent sorption that is inconsistent with this model and may have a radically different mechanism of removal from solution. 12 references, 4 tables.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
59170
Report Number(s):
CONF-831174-
Journal ID: MRSPDH; ISSN 0272-9172
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Materials Research Society Symposia Proceedings
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 26; Conference: Materials Research Society annual meeting, Boston, MA (United States), 14-17 Nov 1983; Other Information: PBD: 1984
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
05 NUCLEAR FUELS; 58 GEOSCIENCES; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; BARIUM; ADSORPTION; CESIUM; STRONTIUM; TUFF; SORPTIVE PROPERTIES; CLINOPTILOLITE; DIFFUSION; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; MONTMORILLONITE; POROSITY; RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL; REACTION KINETICS; YUCCA MOUNTAIN; Yucca Mountain Project

Citation Formats

Rundberg, R S. Kinetics of the adsorption of radionuclides on tuff from Yucca Mountain. United States: N. p., 1984. Web.
Rundberg, R S. Kinetics of the adsorption of radionuclides on tuff from Yucca Mountain. United States.
Rundberg, R S. 1984. "Kinetics of the adsorption of radionuclides on tuff from Yucca Mountain". United States.
@article{osti_59170,
title = {Kinetics of the adsorption of radionuclides on tuff from Yucca Mountain},
author = {Rundberg, R S},
abstractNote = {The sorption of simple cations in tuff is dominated by adsorption on aluminosilicates that have charged surfaces, such as zeolites and clays. The most significant sorbing minerals present in Nevada tuff are clinoptilolite, heulandite, mordenite, and montmorillonite. The kinetics of sorption on tuffs containing the minerals clinoptilolite and montmorillonite has been determined by studying the uptake of strontium, cesium, and barium on thin tuff wafers. The rate constants for uptake of these elements on tuff are consistent with a model of sorption that is diffusion limited but where diffusion occurs in two stages. First the cations diffuse into the rock through the water-filled pore space. Next, the cations must diffuse into the much narrower channels within the aluminosilicate crystals. After they are within the zeolite framework or between the clay planes, the cations may rapidly sorb on the negatively charged surfaces. The actinide elements have a time constant for the apparent sorption that is inconsistent with this model and may have a radically different mechanism of removal from solution. 12 references, 4 tables.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/59170}, journal = {Materials Research Society Symposia Proceedings},
number = ,
volume = 26,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1984},
month = {Mon Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1984}
}