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Safety assessment in the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes (HLWs): a geochemical study of uranium complexes in deep groundwater in granites from Beishan, China

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Abstract

To clarify the species of uranium and its effect on the safety assessment in the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes (HLWs), we presented geochemical simulations of Beishan deep groundwater in Gansu Province, China. The Ca–UO2–CO3 complexes are the main species. They can decrease the blocking of granites on uranium, which is unfavorable for the long-term and safe disposal of HLWs. The Ca2+ may become the critical factor that determines the uranium species when the formation of Ca2UO2(CO3)3(aq) increases with Ca2+ concentrations. Our study provides an important basis and reference for future safety assessment in the geological disposal of HLWs.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Nuclear Facilities Decommissioning Treatment Project of State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (China Nuclear Economic and Administration [2019] No.755), Nuclear Facilities Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste Treating (China Nuclear Economic and Administration [2018] No.1045), CAEA Innovation Center for Geological Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste (CXJJ21102211), National Foreign Expert Project (G2022029012L), Key Scientific Research Fund of Hunan Provincial Education Department (23A0327), Postgraduate Scientific Research Project of Hunan Province (CX20230966), Scientific Research Project of University of South China(20224130214), and Hengyang City Guidance Plan Project (2021jh013).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resource and Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China

    Peng Wu, Zhenping Tang, Haoran Sun, Rengao Gui, Jiaxin Duan, Nan Li & Xianzhe Duan

  2. Hunan Key Laboratory of the Rare Metal Minerals Exploitation and Geological Disposal of Wastes, Hengyang, 421001, China

    Peng Wu, Zhenping Tang & Xianzhe Duan

  3. Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology, Beijing, 100029, China

    Ju Wang, Hui Ling & Zhichao Zhou

  4. CAEA Innovation Center for Geological Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste, Beijing, 100029, China

    Ju Wang, Hui Ling & Zhichao Zhou

  5. School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences Beijing, 29 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100083, China

    M. Santosh

  6. Department of Earth Science, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    M. Santosh

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  1. Peng Wu
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Wu, P., Wang, J., Ling, H. et al. Safety assessment in the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes (HLWs): a geochemical study of uranium complexes in deep groundwater in granites from Beishan, China. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 333, 1779–1791 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-024-09413-w

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