Application of synchrotron X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis to identify contaminant metals on groundwater colloids

Journal Article · Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1994 · Environmental Science and Technology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/es00055a033· OSTI ID:7201564

Kaplan, D I; Hunter, D B; Bertsch, P M; Adrlano, D C ^[1]; Bajt, S ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Georgia, Aiken, SC (United States)
2. Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States) Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)

The objective of this study was to combine the results from SXRF and EDX to provide information about the elemental composition of individual groundwater colloids and about the identity of contaminants associated with these colloids. Because the contaminant metals in the study site came from a point source, their presence on groundwater colloids would provide elemental signatures suggesting that colloids may be important in contaminant transport. SXRF was used to detect low concentrations of contaminant metals associated with surfaces of clusters of groundwater colloids. EDX was used to detect the more abundant elements (including the geochemically important, lower atomic number elements Al and Si that are insensitive to SXRF) associated with surfaces of individual colloids. These techniques were also selected because they require only a small sample mass, about 0.01 g, which may be the total quantity of colloids recovered from 24 h of groundwater sampling. The study site was an aquifer underlying unlined seepage basins that had received wastewater containing sodium hydroxide, nitric acid, radionuclides, and numerous metals from a nuclear materials processing facility on the Savannah River Site near Aiken, SC. 12 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.

• DOE Contract Number: AC09-76SR00819; FG02-92ER14244
• OSTI ID: 7201564
• Journal Information: Environmental Science and Technology; (United States), Vol. 28:6; ISSN 0013-936X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
GROUND WATER
FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY
AQUIFERS
COLLOIDS
COMPILED DATA
METALS
NITRIC ACID
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SODIUM HYDROXIDES
WATER POLLUTION MONITORS
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
COHERENT SCATTERING
DATA
DIFFRACTION
DISPERSIONS
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ELEMENTS
EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXIDES
INFORMATION
INORGANIC ACIDS
MATERIALS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MICROSCOPY
MONITORS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
SCATTERING
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SPECTROSCOPY
WASTES
WATER
540320* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
540330 - Environment
Aquatic- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
400102 - Chemical & Spectral Procedures
400702 - Radiochemistry & Nuclear Chemistry- Properties of Radioactive Materials