Decommissioning of a nuclear power plant: determination of site-specific sorption coefficients for Co-60 and Cs-137

Assessment of radiological risks in strategies for decommissioning of nuclear installations have to consider not only technical concepts such as cutting and decontamination techniques but, even more important, requirements for input of reliable information on the hydrological situation and retardation capabilities of relevant radionuclides specific to the respective decommissioning operation. In this paper we describe appropriate methods for obtaining site-specific sorption data and present results achieved from a case study performed as a commercial contractual work preliminary to the planned decommissioning of a nuclear power plant. A detailed mineralogical study of the sediment used in our sorption experiment highlights the necessity of a thorough sample homogenization and characterization. Batch experiments using radiotracer techniques for the determination of site-specific sorption coefficients show significant retardation for Co-60 and Cs-137 after only 2 h of equilibration between the preconditioned groundwater and sediment. Sorption is more effective in the groundwater of a deeper aquifer containing a higher amount of colloidal clay (illite) particles < 0.63 micron. The Co-60 radiotracer is more completely sorbed than the Cs-137 radiotracer. Equilibration of radionuclide distribution is slow, particularly for Co-60. Presence of EDTA reduces sorption of Co-60 efficiently while Cs-137 sorption remains unaffected.     

Use of some Inorganic and Organic Compounds as Decontaminants for Cobalt-60 and Caesium-134 by Clover Plant Grown on Inshas Sandy Soil

Outdoor lysimeter experiments were carried out to elucidate the effect of 4 inorganic and 3 organic salts on ⁶⁰Co and ¹³⁴Cs uptake and dry matter yield of three cuts of clover in the soils of Inshas. A new concept was proposed for assessing the difference in capacity of soil to supply radionuclides to plants as affected by applied inorganic or organic compounds. A relation of plant tissue radionuclide content with time can be expressed in an exponential equation with corresponding regression coefficients. When the same plant species is grown on the same soil differing only in the applied compounds (e.g. Fe-EDDHA, Fe-DTPA, Fe-OAC, Fe(COO)₂, Al(OH)₃, Ca(H₂PO₄)₂, Fe₂O₃) the derived equation will change. Differences of either Co or Cs accumulation with time between control and any other treatment were evaluated. The data also show that Fe-DTPA is preferred for ⁶⁰Co as enhancing compound for plant uptake (for decontamination use), compared with other applied salts, on the other hand, any tested salts did not significantly effect ¹³⁴Cs taken by clover. It was also found that more than 70% of the total cobalt uptake was accumulated in the roots which indicate that Co is less mobile in plants than Cs.     

Sorption of Europium (III), Cobalt (II) and Cesium (I) by Fresh Water Sediment Fractions Part 2: Effect of Some Environmental Ligands

The sorption behaviour of the radiotracers Eu⁹⁺, Co²⁺ and Cs⁺ by the sediment fractions: sand, coars silt, fine silt and clay was investigated from aqueous solutions containing the complexing agents; humic acid, sodium phosphate or disodium EDTA. The effect of ligand concentration on the sorption of these elements by the sediment fractions was elucidated at varying pH values. The results obtained are interpreted in the light of the complex formation between the ligand and the metal cations beside the interaction between the ligand and the respective sediment fraction investigated.