Plutonium mobility studies in soil sediment decontaminated by means of a soil-washing technology
- Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
- Selentec, Atlanta, GA (United States)
- EG&G Mound Applied Technologies, Miamisburg, OH (United States). Environmental Restoration Program
The ACT*DE*CON{sup SM} process extracts plutonium from contaminated soils/sediments by means of a series of washings with a blend of chemicals, that includes a chelating agent, an oxidant, and carbonates. At the end of the process, the Pu level in the soil is lowered to 25-30 pCi/g from an initial contamination level averaging 500 pCi/g. The radionuclide still present in the soil at the end of the treatment must be strongly immobilized in or onto the soil particles to minimize the risk of its percolation to the aquifer and/or uptake by vegetation. This paper reports the investigation of residual Pu mobility as K{sub d} (distribution coefficient) in the treated soil/sediment. Six batches of contaminated soil were treated simultaneously by means of the ACT*DE*CON{sup SM} process. Some batches of the treated soil were amended with a standard fertilizer treatment of compost and nutrient and brought to pH 8.5. The treated soil, treated and fertilized soil, and the untreated controls were then incubated at 18{degrees}C for 90 days. At four different times, a small aliquot of soil was retrieved from each of the batches and contacted with rainwater for six days to determine the Pu solid/liquid distribution and K{sub d}. Results indicated that a higher total amount of Pu was leached from the untreated soil, probably as a consequence of the higher content of available/exchangeable Pu in this soil compared with the treated ones. Treated/fertilized soils showed Pu leaching at intermediate levels between those for treated and untreated soils, at least for the first 30 days of incubation. K{sub d} values at the beginning of the incubation period were significantly lower in the untreated and treated/fertilized soils compared with those for the treated-only, but at 90 days, these values were substantially equal among the three different soils. Traces of the chelant were detectable only in treated, unfertilized soil.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 86878
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/ES/CP-86536; CONF-9505101-7; ON: DE95013719; TRN: 95:017665
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Conference on challenges and innovations in the management of hazardous waste, Washington, DC (United States), 10-12 May 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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