Potential for the formation and migration of colloidal material from a near-surface waste disposal site

Abstract

Organic material typically constitutes a substantial volume (∼ 90%) of the low-level radioactive wastes (LLRW) intended for near-surface disposal at Chalk River Laboratories (CRL), Ontario, Canada. These wastes can contain a large variety of organic materials, including paper, cardboard, plastic bags, used clothing, and mop heads. After emplacement in a disposal facility, leaching of the LLRW by water can mobilize inorganic and organic substances, ranging from small molecules such as acetic acid to unidentifiable material of colloidal size range. This study determined the potential for colloid formation produced by LLRW degradation, because colloid-facilitated transport of contaminants could affect the safety performance of a disposal facility. The decomposition of compacted LLRW was simulated by recirculating water in a closed system over several compacted bales of waste to determine the potential composition and colloid content of leachates. Size fractionation of organic matter was performed on leachate samples that had been aged for 18 months to simulate the microbial degradation of organic matter within leachates during migration out of the LLRW disposal facility. The aged leachates contained high concentrations of dissolved organic matter, ranging between 74 and 5074 mg/l as C. In most of the leachates, volatile fatty acids accounted for a significant fraction (up to 81%) of the dissolved organic carbon. Although 5–110 mg/l of organic colloids were observed in leachates, in most cases, the organic colloids made up a very small fraction of the total leached organic carbon. Therefore, since the complexation properties of dissolved and colloidal organics are probably similar, contaminants complexed to organics are most likely to be dissolved and not affected by colloid transport. The leachates also contained significant quantities of Fe and Al, which could potentially precipitate Fe and Al as colloids after oxidation. Although a significant portion of the dissolved Fe may have been produced by the corrosion of the ☐es used to contain the bales, the high Fe concentrations could be representative of leachates from LLRW that contain metallic Fe components. If Fe and Al colloids are stable, stable concentrations in LLRW leachates could be high enough to affect contaminant transport. Therefore, the Fe and Al content of LLRW should be minimized. The concentrations of natural colloids in sandy aquifers, such as those found at CRL are too low to affect contaminant migration significantly.