Influence of dissolved organic substances in groundwater on sorption behavior of americium and neptunium

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1984

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5231011· OSTI ID:5231011

Boggs, S Jr; Seitz, M G

Groundwaters typically contain dissolved organic carbon consisting largely of high molecular weight compounds of humic and fulvic acids. To evaluate whether these dissolved organic substances can enhance the tranport of radionuclides through the groundwater system, experiments were conducted to examine the sorption of americium and neptunium onto crushed basalt in the presence of dissolved humic- and fulvic-acid organic carbon introduced into synthetic groundwater. The partitioning experiments with synthetic groundwater show that increasing the concentration of either humic or fulvic acid in the water has a significant inhibiting effect on sorption of both americium and neptunium. At 22/sup 0/C, adsorption of these radionuclides, as measured by distribution ratios (the ratio of nuclide sorbed onto the solid to nuclide in solution at the end of the experiment), decreased by 25% to 50% by addition of as little as 1 mg/L dissolved organic carbon and by one to two orders of magnitude by addition of 100 to 200 mg/L dissolved organic carbon. Distribution ratios measured in solutions reacted at 90/sup 0/C similarly decreased with the addition of dissolved organic carbon but generally ranged from one to two orders of magnitude higher than those determined in the 22/sup 0/C experiment. These results suggest that organic carbon dissolved in deep groundwaters may significantly enhance the mobility of radionuclides of americium and neptunium. 23 references, 5 figures, 11 tables.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31-109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5231011
• Report Number(s): ANL-83-84; ON: DE84009114
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AMERICIUM
ADSORPTION
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
BASALT
SORPTIVE PROPERTIES
GROUND WATER
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
NEPTUNIUM
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FULVIC ACIDS
HUMIC ACIDS
MOBILITY
ACTINIDES
DATA
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FUNCTIONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IGNEOUS ROCKS
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
METALS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
ROCKS
SORPTION
SURFACE PROPERTIES
TRANSPLUTONIUM ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
VOLCANIC ROCKS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER
053000* - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects
052002 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
520301 - Environment
Aquatic- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Water- (1987)