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Radionuclide adsorption by manganese oxides and implications for radioactive waste disposal

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Abstract

COBALT-60 and certain transuranics such as 244Cm, 241Am and 238Pu are migrating in trace amounts from original intermediate-level waste disposal pits and trenches in the radioactive waste burial grounds of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee1. These radionuclides are transported in trace amounts from the trench 7 area and are to some extent adsorbed by soil and shale along the route of migration. We show here that the adsorbed radionuclides, which are very strongly bound in the soil, are being retained primarily by manganese oxides in the soils. Our data illustrate the importance of the manganese oxide component of soils and sediments in general in controlling 60Co and actinide mobility. Certain implications of these results for the field of radioactive waste management will also be discussed.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geological and Geophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08540

    J. L. MEANS, D. A. CRERAR & M. P. BORCSIK

  2. Energy and Environmental Systems Assessment Section, Battelle-Columbus Laboratory, Columbus, Ohio, 43201

    J. O. DUGUID

Authors
  1. J. L. MEANS
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  2. D. A. CRERAR
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  3. M. P. BORCSIK
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  4. J. O. DUGUID
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MEANS, J., CRERAR, D., BORCSIK, M. et al. Radionuclide adsorption by manganese oxides and implications for radioactive waste disposal. Nature 274, 44–47 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/274044a0

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