Desorption kinetics of radiocesium from subsurface sediments at Hanford Site, USA

Abstract

The desorption of 137Cs + was investigated on sediments from the United States Hanford site. Pristine sediments and ones that were contaminated by the accidental release of alkaline 137Cs +-containing high level nuclear wastes (HLW, 2 × 10 6 to 6 × 10 7 pCi 137Cs +/g) were studied. The desorption of 137Cs + was measured in Na +, K +, Rb +, and NH 4 +electrolytes of variable concentration and pH, and in presence of a strong Cs +-specific sorbent (self-assembled monolayer on a mesoporous support, SAMMS). 137Cs + desorption from the HLW-contaminated Hanford sediments exhibited two distinct phases: an initial instantaneous release followed by a slow kinetic process. The extent of 137Cs + desorption increased with increasing electrolyte concentration and followed a trend of Rb + ≥ K + > Na + at circumneutral pH. This trend followed the respective selectivities of these cations for the sediment. The extent and rate of 137Cs + desorption was influenced by surface armoring, intraparticle diffusion, and the collapse of edge-interlayer sites in solutions containing K +, Rb +, or NH 4 +. Scanning electron microscopic analysis revealed HLW-induced precipitation of secondary aluminosilicates on the edges and basal planes of micaceous minerals that were primary Cs + sorbents. The removal of these precipitates by acidified ammonium oxalate extraction significantly increased the long-term desorption rate and extent. X-ray microprobe analyses of Cs +-sorbed micas showed that the 137Cs + distributed not only on mica edges, but also within internal channels parallel to the basal plane, implying intraparticle diffusive migration of 137Cs +. Controlled desorption experiments using Cs +-spiked pristine sediment indicated that the 137Cs + diffusion rate was fast in Na +-electrolyte, but much slower in the presence of K + or Rb +, suggesting an effect of edge-interlayer collapse. An intraparticle diffusion model coupled with a two-site cation exchange model was used to interpret the experimental results. Model simulations suggested that about 40% of total sorbed 137Cs + was exchangeable, including equilibrium and kinetic desorbable pools. At pH 3, this ratio increased to 60–80%. The remainder of the sorbed 137Cs + was fixed or desorbed at much slower rate than our experiments could detect.