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Radionuclide characterization, migration, and monitoring at a commercial low-level waste disposal site

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6249253
; ;
A commercial low-level radioactive waste disposal facility is being studied to characterize the physicochemical forms of the radionuclides and their behavior during migration in ground waters. Environmental monitoring studies are also in progress to identify and assess migration pathways of the radionuclides. At the Maxey Flats, Kentucky low-level waste burial site, mobile species of various radionuclides have migrated short distances on-site (meters to tens of meters) from the trenches. Plutonium is migrating as a soluble anionic complex in the Pu(III) and Pu(IV) oxidation states. Empirical evidence suggests that EDTA contained in the trench water has formed strong organic complexes with plutonium and /sup 60/Co, thereby increasing their mobility. Mobile forms of /sup 90/Sr and /sup 137/Cs are associated with a variety of polar organic species, e.g. carboxylic acids. Environmental monitoring studies at the Maxey Flats site are assessing surface contamination and biological monitoring techniques which can be used for long-term surveillance. Deciduous forests growing near the Maxey Flats site offer the potential to detect the migration of radionuclides, particularly tritium, occurring by subterranean flow from the waste trenches of the flow is within the rooting depth of the trees.
Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
6249253
Report Number(s):
PNL-SA-11248; CONF-830523-16; ON: DE83013252
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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