Influence of colloidal Fe(OH)3 on the adsorption characteristics of strontium in porous media from a candidate high-level radioactive waste geological disposal site

Abstract

Colloids in groundwater or geological barriers generally play a key role in the migration of special nuclides. Adsorption characteristics of strontium were investigated on porous media in the presence of colloidal Fe(OH)3 from the Beishan Site, the only high-level radioactive waste disposal site candidate in China. The effects of colloid amounts, solid contents, and pH were determined and studied by batch texts. The results revealed that the presence of colloidal Fe(OH)3 in porous media contributed to promotion of the sorption effect, and the influencing factors had a significant impact on the adsorption process. The sorption ability increased with increasing colloid amount when the equilibrium time was approximately 10 h under an optimal solid-liquid ratio of 20 g L−1. The sorption effect in alkaline conditions was better than that under acidic conditions. The sorption kinetics indicated that the strong chemical interaction and/or surface complexation contributed primarily to strontium sorption. The sorption isotherms and model fitting revealed that the sorption of strontium onto porous media in the presence of colloidal Fe(OH)3 was a monolayer adsorption, and the presence of colloidal Fe(OH)3 is an important factor that greatly influences the removal of strontium from aqueous solutions. These findings provide useful information for the treatment of strontium in radioactive waste disposal sites.