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Influence of humic acid on the sorption of uranium(IV) to kaolin

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Abstract

Safety assessments for radioactive waste disposal require estimations of the migration of radionuclides in soils. The influence of humic acid (HA) on the sorption of uranium in its +4 oxidation state to kaolin has been examined from pH 4 to 8, with HA concentrations of 15–200 ppm. In the absence of HA, 20–40% of the U(IV) was in solution, with more sorption occurring at higher pH. The presence of HA solubilised up to 90% of the uranium with higher solubilities at higher HA concentrations and higher pH values. Uranium sorption was mapped against HA sorption, and it was found that there was a lower level of U(IV) sorption than can be accounted for by just measuring HA sorption. However, this effect got less marked as the pH rose. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the fraction of surface-bound HA is the controlling parameter for modelling in these systems.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the funding received from EC F6 IP FUNMIG.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Ashby Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK

    Nick Evans, Peter Warwick & Tara Lewis

  2. Centre for Radiochemistry Research, School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

    Nick Bryan

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  1. Nick Evans
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  2. Peter Warwick
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  3. Tara Lewis
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  4. Nick Bryan
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Correspondence to Nick Evans.

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Evans, N., Warwick, P., Lewis, T. et al. Influence of humic acid on the sorption of uranium(IV) to kaolin. Environ Chem Lett 9, 25–30 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-009-0241-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-009-0241-y

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