Determination of site specific distribution coefficients of mixed waste contaminants using an in-situ approach

Conference · Tue Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:10126209

Johnson, W. H. ^[1]; Serkiz, S. M. ^[2]; Clark, S. B. ^[3]

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1. Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta, GA (United States). School of Mechanical Engineering; Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
2. Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
3. Savannah River Ecology Lab., Aiken, SC (United States)

For 33 years, low activity liquid wastes from the chemical separation areas at the US Department of Energy`s Savannah River Site were disposed of in unlined seepage basins. Soil and associated pore water samples of widely varying groundwater chemistries and contaminant concentrations were collected from the region downgradient of these basins using cone penetrometer technology. Analysis of samples using inductively coupled plasma -- mass spectrometry has allowed the investigation of contaminant partitioning between the aqueous phase and soil surfaces at this site. The distribution of contaminants was examined with respect to the solution and soil chemistry (e.g., pH, redox potential, cation concentration) and aqueous phase chemical speciation (contaminant species were estimated using the US Environmental Protection Agency`s thermodynamic equilibrium speciation program MINTEQA2). Distribution coefficients at the waste site were found to vary between 21 and 4700 L kg^-1 for barium, 41 to 23,000 L kg{sup {minus}1} for lead, and 1.6 to 48,000 L kg^-1 for uranium. Differences in sorption of these elements can be explained primarily by changes in aqueous pH. The fraction of these contaminants sorbed increases greatly above pH 4.0. Sorption models were fit directly to sorption isotherms from field samples.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States); Savannah River Ecology Lab., Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); Oak Ridge Inst. for Science and Education, TN (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035; AC09-76SR00819
• OSTI ID: 10126209
• Report Number(s): WSRC-MS--93-421; CONF-940211--3; ON: DE94007196
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220
540230
ADSORPTION ISOTHERMS
BARIUM
CHEMICALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
GEOCHEMISTRY
GROUND WATER
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
LEAD
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
PENETROMETERS
PH VALUE
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SORPTION
URANIUM
WASTE DISPOSAL AND STORAGE