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Co-transport of bentonite colloid and U(VI) in particulate granite column: role of colloid concentration, ionic strength, pH and flow rate

  • Zhen Zhang , Jiaxi Heng , Qiang Jin , Zongyuan Chen EMAIL logo , Wangsuo Wu and Zhijun Guo EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: January 21, 2022
Radiochimica Acta
From the journal Radiochimica Acta Volume 110 Issue 3

Abstract

China is considering Beishan granitic formation (Gansu Province, China) as the site for high-level radioactive waste (HLW) repositories. Thus, it is crucial to understand the transport behavior of radionuclide in Beishan granitic media under disposal conditions. In this context, the co-transport of U(VI) (as the representative of radionuclides) and bentonite colloid (BC, from erosion of compacted bentonite) in particulate Beishan granite was studied as a function of important in-situ factors, such as BC concentration, ionic strength, pH and flow rate. We found that the increase of BC concentration (BC = 240–480 mg/L) did not affect the transport of individual BC, whereas it significantly facilitated the transport of U(VI). The increase of ionic strength (I = 0.001–0.01 M NaCl) or decrease of pH (pH = 7.50–5.40) obviously inhibited the BC transport, where these inhibiting effects were relatively slight for the transport of U(VI). The increase of flow rate significantly facilitated both the transport of BC and U(VI). Finally, a two-site kinetic attachment/detachment model was applied to describe the breakthrough curves of individual and co-transport of BC. The experimental and modeling results of this study have a significant implication on the safety assessment of HLW repositories built in granitic formation.

Keywords: Beishan granite; bentonite colloid; model; transport; U(VI)
Corresponding authors: Zongyuan Chen and Zhijun Guo, Radiochemistry Laboratory, School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 730000 Lanzhou, P. R. China; Frontiers Science Center for Rare Isotopes, Lanzhou University, 730000 Lanzhou, P. R. China; and The Key Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design, Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, 730000 Lanzhou, P. R. China, E-mail: (Z. Chen), (Z. Guo)

Funding source: National Natural Science Foundation of China

Award Identifier / Grant number: 21806064, U1730245, 21906074, 11675070

Funding source: Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

Award Identifier / Grant number: lzujbky-2021-sp27, lzujbky-2021-32, lzujbky-2018-it34

  1. Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21806064, U1730245, 21906074, 11675070) and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (lzujbky-2021-sp27, lzujbky-2021-32, lzujbky-2018-it34).

  3. Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

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Supplementary Material

The online version of this article offers supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/ract-2021-1096).

Received: 2021-08-25
Accepted: 2022-01-02
Published Online: 2022-01-21
Published in Print: 2022-03-28

© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Original Papers
  3. Sorption behavior of natural uranium from aqueous solutions using modified activated carbon with quinoline
  4. Adsorption of UO2 2+ by AlBaNi-layered double hydroxide nano-particles: kinetic, isothermal, and thermodynamic studies
  5. Behaviour of DGA and Ln resin with alpha radiation dose
  6. Sintering Bi2O3–B2O3–ZnO ternary low temperature glass by hydration device to solidify iodine containing silver-coated silica gel
  7. Enhancement of the thermal and physicochemical properties of styrene butadiene rubber composite foam using nanoparticle fillers and electron beam radiation
  8. Co-transport of bentonite colloid and U(VI) in particulate granite column: role of colloid concentration, ionic strength, pH and flow rate
https://doi.org/10.1515/ract-2021-1096
Keywords for this article
Beishan granite; bentonite colloid; model; transport; U(VI)

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Original Papers
  3. Sorption behavior of natural uranium from aqueous solutions using modified activated carbon with quinoline
  4. Adsorption of UO2 2+ by AlBaNi-layered double hydroxide nano-particles: kinetic, isothermal, and thermodynamic studies
  5. Behaviour of DGA and Ln resin with alpha radiation dose
  6. Sintering Bi2O3–B2O3–ZnO ternary low temperature glass by hydration device to solidify iodine containing silver-coated silica gel
  7. Enhancement of the thermal and physicochemical properties of styrene butadiene rubber composite foam using nanoparticle fillers and electron beam radiation
  8. Co-transport of bentonite colloid and U(VI) in particulate granite column: role of colloid concentration, ionic strength, pH and flow rate
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