Distribution coefficients for radionuclides in aquatic environments. I. Development of methods and results for plutonium and americium in fresh and marine water-sediment systems

Technical Report · Mon Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

OSTI ID:5639505

Seymour, A H; Nevissi, A; Schell, W R; Sanchez, A

A study has been initiated on the processes which control removal and remobilization of radionuclides by inorganic and organic suspended particulate matter in natural aquatic systems. The initial development and testing of procedures and preliminary results have been made using americium and plutonium. An evaluation of the methods used for measuring distribution coefficients was made for different sediment-water systems by the thin layer and constant shaking techniques. The constant shaking technique was found to be the most reproducible. A comparison of sterile (by 10/sup 6/ rads gamma radiation) and natural sediments was made. The distribution coefficients of /sup 237/Pu in freshwater-sediment systems for desorption was three times greater than for sorption and was also three times greater for unsterilized than for sterilized sediment. In marine sediment-water systems the distribution coefficients for /sup 237/Pu gave a range of values between 10/sup 4/ and 10/sup 5/. For /sup 241/Am, the distribution coefficients for desorption was three times greater than that measured for sorption and the sterilized sediment gave the highest distribution coefficient values for both sorption and desorption. Dialysis bags were utilized in experiments designed to separate the soluble from the colloidal or particulate form of the radionuclide. The results showed that both plutonium and americium diffuse through the dialysis bags in marine water systems and are then concentrated on the growing plankton Phaeodactylum tricornutium, and on the suspended sediment contained inside the bags. Further studies are essential to evaluate these early results.

• Research Organization: Washington Univ., Seattle (USA). Coll. of Fisheries
• OSTI ID: 5639505
• Report Number(s): NUREG/CR-0801
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520302* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Aquatic Ecosystems & Food Chains-- (-1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ADSORPTION
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AMERICIUM 241
AMERICIUM ISOTOPES
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DATA
DATA FORMS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DESORPTION
DIALYSIS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ECOSYSTEMS
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FRESH WATER
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
ISOLATED VALUES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM 237
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RADIOSTERILIZATION
SEAWATER
SECONDS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
SEDIMENTS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SORPTION
STERILIZATION
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES