Abstract
Natural colloids in the Gorleben aquifer systems have been investigated as for their chemical composition, quantification and size distribution. Humic substances appear to be the major organic materials in these groundwaters, generating humic colloids which are analysed to be humic acid (and fulvie acid) loaded with a large number of trace heavy metal ions. These metal ions are natural homologues of actinides and some fission products in trivalent, tetravalent and hexavalent state. Concentrations of trivalent and tetravalent heavy metal ions are linearly correlated with the DOC concentration in different groundwaters. The DOC is found to be present as humic colloids. The Am3+ ions introduced in such a groundwater readily undergo the generation of its pseudocolloids through sorption or ion exchange reactions with humic colloids. The chemical behaviour of Am(III), being similar to the trivalent metal ions, e.g. Fe3+, REE etc. found in natural colloids, has been investigated by laser induced photoacoustic spectroscopy.
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