Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Speciation of uranium(VI) sorption complexes on montmorillonite

Conference ·
OSTI ID:10137357
;  [1];  [2]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
  2. Fort Lewis Coll., Durango, CO (United States). Dept. of Chemistry
Environmental contaminant releases that contain uranium are among the most serious problems that must be confronted by restoration programs. To facilitate restoration, information concerning the speciation of uranium is needed. Under oxidizing conditions, dissolved uranium is predominantly in the U(VI) (uranyl) form and is quite mobile in the environment, however sorption onto soils may retard its movement. In this study, we have investigated the effects of changes in solution speciation on the nature of uranyl sorption complexes on montmorillonite, a common soil constituent. Aqueous U(VI) solutions between pH 3 to 7 were batch-equilibrated with montmorillonite for several days; specific pH values were selected such that the solutions consisted of dominantly monomeric, oligomeric, or a mix of monomeric and oligomeric aqueous uranyl species. Emission spectroscopy was used to investigate the nature of U(VI) sorbed to montmorillonite.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-36
OSTI ID:
10137357
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--92-1004; CONF-920761--10; ON: DE92011227
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English