Transport of radioselenium oxyanions by diffusion in unsaturated soils
-
David Aldaba
and
Miquel Vidal
Abstract
There is a lack of data on the diffusion of long-lived radionuclides in soils, especially of those originated from the leaching of radioactive waste in waste disposal facilities. Here, the simultaneous diffusion of two radioselenium species, which were postulated to be radioselenite and radioselenate, was examined for the first time in four soils at laboratory level by applying the planar-source method. The Gaussian-shaped experimental diffusion profile was deconvoluted into two Gaussian functions, and then the apparent diffusion coefficients (Da) were quantified for each species. Radioselenate Da values ranged from 1.4E-11 to 1.5 · 10–10 m2 s–1, while those of radioselenite were two orders of magnitude lower (from 5.2E-13 to 2.7 · 10–12 m2 s–1) for all samples and conditions tested. The radioselenite distribution coefficient values derived from Da correlated to soil properties, such as pH and Al/Fe mineral content, and thus were consistent with the factors controlling the sorption of selenium species in soils.
Acknowledgement
This research was funded by the Spanish Government (CICYT, contracts CTM2008-01147/TECNOand CTM2011-27211) and the Generalitat de Catalunya (contract AGAUR 2009SGR1188). The authors thank ENRESA and the Univesidade da Coruña for the soil samples supplied, and CIEMAT for material support of this research. David Aldaba was awarded a PhD fellowship by the Universitat de Barcelona.
©2015 Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Removal of americium from effluent generated during the purification of plutonium by anion exchange
- Uranyl tris-(carbohydrazide) nitrate [UO2((N2H3)2CO)3](NO3)2: synthesis, structure and properties
- Nuclear forensic analysis of uranium oxide powders interdicted in Victoria, Australia
- Transport of radioselenium oxyanions by diffusion in unsaturated soils
- Development of an automated batch-type solid-liquid extraction apparatus and extraction of Zr, Hf, and Th by triisooctylamine from HCl solutions for chemistry of element 104, Rf
- Preparation, purification and primary bioevaluation of radioiodinated ofloxacin: an imaging agent
- Comparison of two semi-absolute methods: k0-instrumental neutron activation analysis and fundamental parameter method X-ray fluorescence spectrometry for Ni-based alloys
