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Pu and Am sorption to the Baltic Sea bottom sediments

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry volume 295, pages 1957–1967 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Sorption of Am and Pu isotopes to bottom sediments of the Baltic Sea has been studied under natural and laboratory conditions. Data obtained from sequential extraction, sorption of Am(III), Pu(IV) and Pu(V) as well as oxidation state distribution experiments have shown that Pu(V) sorption mechanism includes a very fast Pu(V) reduction (reaction rate ≤ 2.33 × 10−3 s−1) to Pu(IV) by humic substances and/or by Fe(II) to Pu(IV) and partly to Pu(III). Following reduction Pu isotopes were bound to various components of bottom sediments via ion exchange and surface complexation reactions and a slow incorporation into the crystalline structure of Fe minerals. Kinetics experiments showed that the sorption of Pu(V), Pu(IV) and Am(III) to bottom sediments from natural seawater was controlled by the inert layer diffusion process.

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Acknowledgments

The Financial support provided by the Research Council of Lithuania (contract No. MIP-080/2012) is acknowledged. The authors thank students of the Chemical Department of Vilnius University, participating in the experiments, for technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SRI Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Vilnius, Lithuania

    G. Lujanienė & I. Kulakauskaitė

  2. Department of Nuclear Chemistry, CTU, Prague 1, Brehova 7, Czech Republic

    P. Beneš & K. Štamberg

  3. SRI Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania

    K. Jokšas

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  1. G. Lujanienė
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  2. P. Beneš
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  3. K. Štamberg
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  4. K. Jokšas
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  5. I. Kulakauskaitė
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Correspondence to G. Lujanienė.

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Lujanienė, G., Beneš, P., Štamberg, K. et al. Pu and Am sorption to the Baltic Sea bottom sediments. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 295, 1957–1967 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-012-2281-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-012-2281-1

Keywords

  • Pu(IV)
  • Pu(V)
  • Bottom sediments
  • Seawater
  • Sorption