Comparative behavior of americium and plutonium in wastewater

Conference · Mon Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986 · Sov. Radiochem. (Engl. Transl.); (United States)

OSTI ID:6937505

Tsvetaeva, N E; Filin, V M; Ragimov, T K; Rudaya, L Y; Shapiro, K Y; Shcherbakov, B Y

This paper studies the behavior of trace americium and plutoniumin wastewater fed into purification systems. Activities of the elements were determined on a semiconductive alpha-ray spectrometer. the distributio nonuniformity, or heterogeneity, of americium and plutonium per unit volume of wastewater was determined quantitatively before and after passage through filter papers. The two elements were found to be in a colloidal or pseudocolloidal state in the original wastewater sample at pH 6. On acidifying the wastewater from pH 4 to 1 M nitric acid the americium passed quantitatively into the water phase but the most plutonium remained in the colloidal or pseudocolloidal state. the plutonium also passed quantitatively into the water phase in wastewater at a 1 M nitric acid acidity but only after a prolonged (12-day) hold. A knowledge of the heterogeneity of plutonium and americium in wastewaters made it possible to quickly distinguish their state, i.e., colloidal, pseudocolloidal, or in true solution.

• OSTI ID: 6937505
• Report Number(s): CONF-8306297-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Sov. Radiochem. (Engl. Transl.); (United States) Journal Volume: 28:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520300* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ALPHA SPECTROSCOPY
AMERICIUM 241
AMERICIUM ISOTOPES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMISTRY
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
ESTERS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EXTRACTION
FILTRATION
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
ISOTOPES
LIQUID WASTES
MASS TRANSFER
NITRIC ACID
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
PHOSPHONIC ACID ESTERS
PLUTONIUM 238
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOCOLLOIDS
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SPECTROSCOPY
TRACE AMOUNTS
WASTE WATER
WASTES
WATER
WATER CHEMISTRY
WATER TREATMENT
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES