Relationship between the adsorption species of cesium and radiocesium interception potential in soils and minerals: an EXAFS study

Abstract

This study examined the radiocesium (RCs) interception potential (RIP), cation exchange capacity (CEC), total organic carbon (TOC) content, and adsorption species in soils and minerals by using extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. The RIP related to Cs+ adsorption by frayed-edge site (FES) has often been used to measure the mobility and bioavailability of RCs in the environment. This study found that the presence of organic matter (OM) can reduce RIP to a certain extent. The adsorption amount (=QT) in soil was obviously correlated to RIP at a small [Cs+] region, whereas a linear relationship between QT and CEC was observed at a large [Cs+] region. Both the inner-sphere (IS) and outer-sphere (OS) complexes of Cs+ were observed through EXAFS at a molecular scale. The linear correlation between log (RIP/CEC) and the ratio of the coordination number (CN) of IS (=CNIS) and OS (=CNOS) complexes noted as CNIS/(CNIS + CNOS) suggested that the ratio of CN is very sensitive to Cs+ adsorption species with variable RIP and CEC. The adsorption species of Cs+ in soil was mainly dependent on the clay mineral content of soil. RIP was affected not only by FES but also by other strong adsorption sites, such as the interlayers and cavities identified as the IS complex in EXAFS analysis. Findings indicated that the EXAFS approach is a powerful and efficient tool to explore the behavior of Cs+ in a given environment.