Studies of radionuclide sorption by clays in the Culebra Dolomite at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site, southeastern New Mexico

Technical Report · Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6840341· OSTI ID:6840341

Siegel, M D ^[1]; Leckie, J O; Park, S W ^[2]; Phillips, S L ^[3]; Sewards, T ^[4]

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1. Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
2. Stanford Univ., CA (USA)
3. Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)
4. New Mexico Univ., Albuquerque, NM (USA)

The ability of radionuclide-rock interactions to retard the migration of plutonium and uranium within clay-lined fractures in the Culebra Dolomite Member of the Rustler Formation is being estimated in support of the performance assessment of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. This paper describes progress in three coordinated studies: characterization of the properties of the groundwater and minerals in the Culebra that will control radionuclide retardation; development of a thermodynamic model for the adsorption of uranium onto corrensite, the mixed chlorite-smectite clay mineral found in Culebra fractures; and development of a data base of equilibrium constants and interaction parameters for calculations of the aqueous speciation of uranium and plutonium in Na--Cl--Ca--SO{sub 4}--CO{sub 3} solutions which contain organic ligands such as EDTA and range in ionic strength from approximately 0.8 to 6.0 molal. 22 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/DP
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6840341
• Report Number(s): SAND-89-2387; ON: DE90013594
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540230 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540330 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ACTINIDES
ADSORPTION
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALPHA-BEARING WASTES
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM SILICATES
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATE MINERALS
CARBONATES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHLORITE MINERALS
CLAYS
DOCUMENT TYPES
DOLOMITE
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INTERACTIONS
ISOTOPES
LIGANDS
MAGNESIUM CARBONATES
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METALS
MINERALOGY
MINERALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE MODELS
PILOT PLANTS
PLUTONIUM
PROGRESS REPORT
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SILICATE MINERALS
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SMECTITE
SORPTION
STATISTICAL MODELS
THERMODYNAMIC MODEL
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
URANIUM
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER
WIPP