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Title: Additional Information for E-Area Vault Performance Assessment, Appendix I `Suspect Soil Performance` - Results of Modeling the Effects of Organic Matter on the Mobility of Radionuclides as it Relates to the Disposal of Wood Products in E-Area Slit Trenches

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/626421· OSTI ID:626421
 [1];
  1. Westinghouse Savannah River Company, AIKEN, SC (United States)

Numerous laboratory and field studies have shown that the chemical form (i.e., speciation) of many metals and radionuclides is affected by the presence of naturally occurring organic matter (OM) and its degradation products. The effects of OM (e.g., wood products) on the speciation and, therefore, the mobility of Am, Bk, Cf, Cm, Cs, Ni, NpO{sub 2}, Rb, Sr. UO{sub 2}, and Zr were estimated through use of geochemical and groundwater flow modeling. Due to the complex mixture nature of naturally occurring OM, the OM system was simplified through use of surrogate compounds (citric acid and ethylenedinitrilotetraacetic acid (EDTA)) to estimate effects of OM on radionuclide mobility. Using this approach, OM was found to have no effect on the inventory limits for Cs, NpO{sub 2}, Rb and Zr. The inventory limits for the isotopes of Am, Bk, Cf, Cm, Ni, Pd, PuO{sub 2}, Sr, and UO{sub 2} calculated in the presence of OM decreased over a range of 26 percent for U-233 to 48 percent for Pu-240. The information in this report will be included in the next revision of the E-Area Vaults Performance Assessment.

Research Organization:
Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC09-96SR18500
OSTI ID:
626421
Report Number(s):
WSRC-TR-98-00049; ON: DE98052689
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 24 Apr 1996
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English