Sorption behaviour of neptunium in marine and fresh water bottom sediments in Far East area of Russia (Lake Khanka and Amur Bay)

Abstract

The concentration and sorption behavior of 237Np on the bottom sediments of water bodies in the Far East region of Russia (Lake Khanka and Peter the Great Bay) were studied for the first time. The 237Np concentrations vary from 1.06 × 10−6 to 4.43 × 10−5 mBq g−1 in the bottom sediments of Lake Khanka and from 1.05 × 10−4 to 2.52 × 10−3 mBq g−1 for Amur Bay. The experiment on the adsorption of Np on marine and lake sediment showed that it is sorbed through complexation with silicates (albite, leucite). The Np sorption isotherm on marine sediments is described by the Langmuir equation; the distribution coefficients (Kd) of Np vary from 57 to 588 mL g−1. For lake sediments, the isotherm is described by the Henry equation; the Kd value reaches 935 mL g−1.