Sorption of radionuclides in tuff using groundwaters of various compositions
Three natural and several synthetic groundwaters were used to investigate the sorptive properties of a few selected radionuclides on tuff. The natural groundwaters were pumped from wells in the Yucca Mountain area that is being considered by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations Project as a possible site for a nuclear waste repository. The synthetic groundwaters were prepared to identify which components had the greatest effect in changing the sorptive behavior of the radionuclides studied. The tuff samples had various mineralogic compositions which were characteristic of the Yucca Mountain area. The radionuclides selected for this study were {sup 85}Sr, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 133}Ba, {sup 152}Eu, and {sup 113}Sn, all at low concentration levels (<10{sup -7} M). Observed changes in sorptive behavior with the different groundwaters were element-dependent, and within the concentration ranges studied, no single ionic species appeared to exert a controlling influence on the sorption of these radionuclides.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 60441
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8708244--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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