Basalt-radionuclide reactions: FY-1981. Annual report

Technical Report · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:6553197

Ames, L L; McGarrah, J E; Walker, B A

Sorption isotherms were obtained with Na, Ca, Sr, Pu, U, Cs, Se, Np, Ra, and Tc and 60/sup 0/C, with two synthetic groundwaters on Columbia River basalts and associated secondary minerals. Where appropriate (U, Se, Np, and Tc), isotherms were obtained under low Eh (-50 mV) conditions as well as oxidizing conditions. Straight line relationships between equilibrium radionuclide concentration on the basalt or secondary minerals and in the solution were obtained by use of the linearized Freundlich equation. Two exceptions were the uranium and cesium sorption isotherms. These were described by the Dubinin-Radushkevich equation. Isotherms determined under anoxic conditions (U, Se, Np) showed the effects of radionuclide precipitation and the generation of colloids that remained in the solution yielding relatively low sorption results. Radium distribution coefficients increased with increasing radium concentration, a good indication of precipitation as a removal mechanism. Neptunium, changing from Np(V) to Np(IV) also gave indications of precipitation occurring. In ion exchange, tracer level systems, cesium and strontium were used to show that the presence of increasing amounts of competing sodium and calcium caused the strontium and cesium sorption to follow simple linear regressions with negative regression coefficients. Uranium was quantitatively removed from solution at 150/sup 0/C in the presence of basalt. Initial strontium and plutonium removal from solution was low but tended to steadily increase with up to 60 days solution-basalt contact. Pu, U, Cs, and Ra sorption and desorption were studied on the same basalt wafers of known surface area and weight. There was no apparent relationship between wafer surface area and radionuclide sorption rates or amounts. Radionuclides, sorbed and desorbed under the same conditions, always desorbed more slowly. There were indications that a percentage of the sorbed radionuclide was firmly fixed on the basalt.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-77RL01030
• OSTI ID: 6553197
• Report Number(s): RHO-BW-CR-127-P; PNL-3992; ON: DE83005224
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDES
ADSORPTION ISOTHERMS
ALKALI METALS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
BASALT
CALCIUM
CESIUM
DATA
DESORPTION
DISTRIBUTION
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GROUND WATER
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IGNEOUS ROCKS
INFORMATION
ISOTHERM
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
METALS
NEPTUNIUM
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RADIUM
ROCKS
SELENIUM
SEMIMETALS
SODIUM
SORPTIVE PROPERTIES
STRONTIUM
SURFACE PROPERTIES
TECHNETIUM
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
URANIUM
VOLCANIC ROCKS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE-ROCK INTERACTIONS
WASTES
WATER