Abstract
The vadose zone acts the last barrier to block radionuclides from entering groundwater, where the adsorption of americium(III) (Am(III)) by natural colloids determines the transport of Am(III) in the vadose zone. However, there are few studies on natural colloids as the third phase in traditional static batch experiments. This study explored the effects of pH (4, 7, 10), electrolyte concentration (CNaCl = 0, 0.1, 5 mM), initial Am(III) concentration (6.54 × 10−10, 1.31 × 10−9, 1.96 × 10−9 M), and natural colloids concentration (300, 400, 500 mg/L) on the adsorption process in Am(III)-sediment (AS) and Am(III)-sediment-natural colloids (ASN) systems. The adsorption process was well fitted by pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating mainly a rate-limiting process controlled by chemical reactions. The adsorption percentage (< 70%) of Am(III) in AS was much smaller than that in ASN (> 90%), suggesting that natural colloids significantly affected the adsorption of Am(III) in the vadose zone sediments. Higher pH and lower electrolyte concentration resulted in larger adsorption percentages, because the negative charge on solid phase increased and the Am(III) species distribution changed in aqueous solution. The increase in initial Am(III) concentration can enhance the adsorption percentage, but the adsorption percentage did not rise proportionally with the increase in natural colloid concentration, which may be caused by the presence of critical colloid concentration in the adsorption system. This study provides a basis for evaluating the radioactive nuclide transport in high-risk sites.
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Data Availability
Data will be made available on request.
Abbreviations
- Am(III):
-
Americium(III)
- AS:
-
Americium(III)-sediment system
- ASN:
-
Americium(III)-sediment-natural colloid system
- NC:
-
Natural colloids
- SEM:
-
Scanning electron microscopy
- XRD:
-
X-ray diffraction
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We are grateful for the support provided by the China Institute for Radiation Protection for this experiment.
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The funding for this study was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42177201).
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Chen, K., Zhu, J., Gao, H. et al. Influence of Natural Colloids on the Kinetic Adsorption Behavior of Am(III) on Vadose Zone Sediments. Water Air Soil Pollut 235, 210 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-024-07019-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-024-07019-2