Sorption of long-lived radionuclides onto main types of rocks of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago

Abstract

The ability of black carbonaceous siltstones and silt sandstones, lime sandstones, gray limestones, carbon–silicon carbonate schists with pyrite, and other rocks that most widely occur on the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago to sorb 137Cs, 90Sr, 239+240Pu, and 241Am was studied. The distribution coefficients K d (cm3 g–1) are as follows: for 239+240Pu, 2.7 × 103–7.7 × 103; for 241Am, 2.5 × 103–1.8 × 104; and for 137Cs, 1.1 × 102–2.0 × 103. Strontium-85(90) it not noticeably sorbed (within the measurement uncertainty) by any of the rocks studied. 239+240Pu, 241Am, and 137Cs are strongly sorbed onto the rocks studied and are not noticeably desorbed from them with distilled water. The data obtained are required for predicting the migration of long-lived radionuclides generated by nuclear explosion with surface waters from test sites on the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago.