Effect of container adsorption on the210Pb/210Bi secular equilibrium relationship in spiked aqueous solutions

The radioactive boric acid wastes generated from the nuclear power plants have been solidified with cement. One of the properties required for solidified radioactive wastes is resistance to leaching. The leachability of¹³⁷Cs from solidified waste specimens prepared by various formulation has been studied according to the proposed ANS 16.1 Standard Leach Test. For the evaluation of radiological safety in the solidified radioactive waste disposal, the leachability indices have been determined from the leaching test data. The results have turned out to be 5.97–7.60, depending on formulation and solidifying matrix.     

Leaching of uranium,radium and thorium from vertisol soil by ground water

Shallow land burial is routinely used for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste. Natural processes causing leaching of radionuclides can lead to contamination of surrounding ground water and soil by the radionuclides. The comparative leachability of radionuclides U_(nat), ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra and Th_(nat) from the soil of a radioactive waste disposal site, by ground water was evaluated. The probability of leaching was obtained in the following order Ra (≈77%) > U (≈40%) > Th (≈20%). Observed ratios (OR) were calculated to correlate leachability of radionuclides to that of major cations Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺. The leaching of the radionuclides was seen to be dependent on Ca²⁺ and SO₄²⁻ leached from the soil. This study provides sitespecific leachability of radionuclides, that can be used as indicator of the tendency for migration or retention in soil. It can play an important role during an unforeseen accident like breach of containment at the waste disposal site leading to contamination of soil and ground water and causing hazard to public via drinking water route.     

Composite absorbers of inorganic ion-exchangers and polyacrylonitrile binding matrix

Maximum attainable self-absorption dose for cemented composite ion-exchanger, consisting of nickel hexacyanoferrate and polyacrylonitrile binding matrix, loaded with¹³⁷Cs up to repository acceptable level (1.1·10¹² Bq·m^–3) was calculated to be 10⁵ Gy. The cemented absorber with sorbed caesium was irradiated by⁶⁰Co source up to 1 MGy, and leach tests were performed to determine possible influence of self-irradiation on the caesium leachability. No radiation induced changes in caesium immobilisation in solidified ion-exchanger were observed.     

Effect of Radiation-Induced Crystallization on the Chemical Stability of Basalt-Like Matrices with Immobilized α-Emitting Components of Radioactive Wastes1

The effect of radiation-induced crystallization due to intrinsic -irradiation on the water leaching of basalt-like matrices with immobilized -emitting components of radioactive wastes was studied. Both total leaching and radionuclide (primarily, plutonium) leaching were measured. Although radiation crystallization resulted in some increase in the degree of leaching, this increase lies within the limits permitted for practical use of the test matrices.     

Separation of cerium from other lanthanides by leaching with nitric acid rare earth(III) hydroxide-cerium(IV) oxide mixtures

A simple operational method for separating cerium from other lanthanides in natural mixtures of cerium dioxide with lanthanide(III) hydroxides, obtained from Vietnamese parisite and Mongolian bastnasite, has been developed. The method is based on drying crude Ln(OH)₃×H₂O material in air at about 200°C within 6h, followed by leaching Ln(III) with concentrated nitric acid added carefully with stirring to the dried material/water 11.5 slurry. Under optimum conditions cerium (and Th, if present) virtually does not pass into solution while the yield of leaching and the sum of REE oxides (REO) concentration in the after-leach solution reach the maximum values of 97% (mass) and 0.18 kg·dm^–3, respectively. Besides an expected decrease of the leaching yield, roasting the starting material at 600°C results in over 7% Ce content in the Ln leached.     

Leaching behavior of137Cs in cement

To assess the safety of disposal of a radioactive waste-cement composite, the leaching of¹³⁷Cs from a waste composite into a surrounding fluid has been studied. Leaching tests were carried out in accordance with a method recommended by IAEA.¹ The leachability was measured as a function of bentonite clay to cement ratio. The fraction of¹³⁷-Cs leached from a specimen of Portland cement is 0.03–0.13 at a leaching time of 400 d. Results presented in this paper are examples of data obtained in a 10 y mortar and concrete testing project, which will influence the design of the engineered trench system for a future Yugoslav radioactive waste storage center.^2,3     

Deposition of cesium and cobalt sorbed on zeolite in matrices of blast furnace slag

¹³⁷Cs and⁶⁰Co were sorbed from model solutions and waste water on chemically treated granular zeolite. The zeolite was incorporated into cement slurries based on blast furnace slag (BFS). The compressive and bending strength were measured after different times of hydration. The leaching tests were performed in water, base and acid solutions. The leachability was more pronounced only for samples in acidic solutions.     

Determination of the leaching rate of radionuclide 134Cs from the solidified radioactive wastes in Syrian Portland cement and cement–microsilica matrixes

The suitability of Syrian Portland cement for disposal of solidified low-level radioactive waste was assessed by measuring the leaching rate of ¹³⁴Cs. In ordinary cement concrete, a leaching rate of 1.309 × 10^?3 g/cm² per day was measured. Mixing this concrete with microsilica reduced significantly the leaching rate to 3.106 × 10^?4 g/cm² per day for 1% mixing, and to 9.645 × 10^?5 g/cm² per day for 3% mixing. It was also found that the application of a latex paint reduced these leaching rates by about 10%. These results, along with mechanical strength tests (under radiation exposure, high temperature, long water immersion and freeze–thaw cycling) indicate that Syrian Portland cement is suited for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste.     

Adsorption and Desorption of Cr(III) on Natural and Chemically Modified Slovak Zeolites

Natural and chemically modified zeolites from the Slovak Republic and Ukraine have been investigated as the adsorbents for the uptake of Cr(III). Model water solution of low radioactivity was used. The adsorption and desorption kinetics of chromium were established with the gradual radioexchange technique (tracer ⁵¹Cr) and flame AAS. The effect of the factors studied are examined and explained. The sorption coefficient , distribution coefficient K _D , sorption capacity , sorption rate S, and leachability of Cr were calculated in neutral, alkaline and acidic aqueous solutions. The sorption capacity of the modified zeolites was found to be greater by a factor of 2 to 16 than that of the unmodified ones depending on the modifying solution applied. The leachability of chromium from loaded zeolites into the neutral solution was negligible. The leachability into alkaline and acidic solutions increased over 40%.     

Leachability of cobalt and cesium from natural and chemically treated zeolites

The determination of leachability of radioisotopes of cesium and cobalt from preloaded zeolites in distilled water, base solution and acid solution has been studied. For the experiment, we used natural and chemically treated zeolites. The zeolites before leaching were calcined at different temperatures.     

Migration of radiocesium in a zeolite-solution system

Some properties of natural zeolite from Zaloka gorica, Slovenia, Yugoslavia were investigated to establish its applicability in solidification and for storage purposes of radioactive waste. It was found that this material is a rather good sorber for cesium, with a capacity of about 0.6 meq g^–1. The migration rate of Cs⁺ in a system ion exchanger-aqueous solution was investigated and correlated with the sorption behaviour of cesium in a system. The leaching rate of cesium from concrete containing zeolite was measured.     

The effect of pressure on the ionization of boric acid in aqueous solutions from molal-volume data

The apparent, φ _v , and partial, \(\bar V_2 \) molal volumes of dilute (0.02 to 0.7m) aqueous boric acid, B(OH)₃, and sodium borate, NaB(OH)₄, solutions have been determined from 0 to 50° C from precision density measurements. The φ _v of boric acid is a linear function of the first power of concentration. For sodium borate, the Debye-Hückel theoretical limiting law slope for the φ _v as a function of the square root of molar concentration is approached at all temperatures studied. The positive deviations at higher concentrations increase with decreasing temperature. The infinite-dilution volume properties of both B(OH)₃ and NaB(OH)₄ indicate that these solutes behave like “structure breakers” between 0 and 50°C (that is ?²φ _v ^° /?T² is negative). The volume change for the ionization of boric acid in water \(\Delta \bar V^\circ \) , is calculated from the volume data at various temperatures. This volume change has been used to estimate the effect of pressure on the ionization of boric acid solutions from 0 to 50°C and 0 to 1000 bars. The calculated effect of pressure on the ionization is in good agreement with direct measurements.     

Radiopharmaceuticals for renal studies: Evaluation of protein binding

Determination of total in vitro protein binding was evaluated for the following radiopharmaceuticals:^99mTc-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA),^99mTc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA),^99mTc-glucoheptonate (GH) and^99mTc-fosfomycin (PHO). For that they were incubated wtih human serum at 37°C. After three and sixty minutes of incubation, the bound fraction was evaluated by two different methods: gel filtration and precipitation with trichloroacetic acid (TCA). The percentage of the^99mTc-kidney agents bound by human serum proteins is different for each one. Determination by TCA precipitation always leads to higher results. For renal imaging agents (DMSA, GH and PHO) the percentage of binding by each serum proteic constituent was also evaluated by electrophoretic analysis. All proteic constituents of human serum bind with those radiopharmaceuticals but the percentage of binding is different in accordance with both the radiopharmaceutical and the proteic constituent.     

Statistical estimate for evaluation of vitrified radioactive wastes

The evaluation of experimental results by methods of mathematical statistics enabled us to derive a number of conclusions on the leachability of vitrified radioactive wastes. Practical application of this procedure requires that the ratio of Na and K concentrations in the solution should be independent of the leaching time. The actual value of this ratio is influenced, above all, by the properties of the glass matrix. These results confirm the assumption that the Na/K correlation found could be extended for the determination of the Na/¹³⁷ Cs concentration ratio. This finding was used for the application of a In-In correlation, while evaluating the quality of vitrified radioactive wastes products.     

Focused microwave-assisted solvent extraction and HPLC determination of effective constituents in Eucommia ulmodies Oliv. (E. ulmodies)

A new focused microwave-assisted solvent extraction method using water as solvent has been developed for leaching geniposidic and chlorogenic acids from Eucommia ulmodies Oliv. The extraction procedures were optimized using a two indexes orthogonal experimental design and graphical analysis, by varying irradiation time, solvent volume, solvent composition and microwave power. The optimum extraction conditions were obtained: for geniposidic acid, 50% micorwave power, 40 s irradiation, and 80% (v/v) aqueous methanol as extraction solvent (20 ml g⁻¹ sample); and for chlorogenic acid, 50% micorwave power, 30 s irradiation, and 20% aqueous methanol (20 ml g⁻¹ sample). The composition of the extraction solvent was optimized and can be directly used as the mobile phase in the HPLC separation. Quantification of organic acids was done by HPLC at room temperature using Spherigel C₁₈ chromatographic column (, i.d. 5 μm), the methanol:water:acetic acid (20:80:1.0, v/v) mobile phase and UV detection at 240 nm. The R.S.D. of the extraction process for geniposidic and chlorogenic acid were 3.8 and 4.1%, respectively.     

Decontamination of some radioactive effluents by means of ceramic filters

The paper deals with the use of some ceramic materials for the removal of⁵⁵⁺⁵⁹Fe³⁺ and⁶⁰Co²⁺ ions from residual waters. For this purpose, chamotte powder has been used both by itself or in a mixture with aluminium oxide. The pastes obtained by wetting these materials have been shaped in the form of crucibles. The radioactive ions which exist in residual effluents, have been retained to a large extent on these filters. Separately, the leaching of radioactive ions previously retained on the filtering mass, has been studied under the influence of water and of diluted solutions of hydrochloric acid or sodium chloride.     

Reactions of Polyols with Boric Acid and Sodium Monoborate

Complex formation was studied in the systems boric acid (sodium monoborate)-polyol (D-sorbitol, mannitol, dulcitol, xylitol, glycerol)-water, concentrational stability constants of the complexes and ionization constants of bis(polyol)boric acids were estimated. In the systems D-sorbitol, D-mannitol, dulcitol, glycerol-boric acid-water electric conductivity increases sharply to peak at the molar ratio polyol : boric acid = 2 : 1; in the case of dulcitol there appears yet another peak at the molar ratio polyol : boric acid = 1 : 1. In the systems D-sorbitol, D-mannitol, glycerol-sodium monoborate-water three complex anions: [BPolyol₂]^? in acidic, [BPolyol]^?, and [B₂Poyol]^2- in neutral and basic regions of the system were revealed, their stability being dependent on the nature of the polyol and the overall concentration of the solution. In the system dulcitol-sodium monoborate-water only one complex anion [BDulc]^? is formed, and in the system xylitol-sodium monoborate-water dimeric complex [BXyl]^? is found.     

A kinetic study of trace element leachability from abandoned-mine-polluted soil treated with SS-MSW compost and red mud. Comparison with results from sequential extraction

The effect of adding treated red mud, a by-product of alumina production, to soil polluted by an abandoned mine and characterised by high concentrations of heavy metals, relatively low reaction grade, and low organic carbon content, was investigated. Also studied was addition of both red mud and compost (produced from source-separated municipal solid waste)—the synergistic action of red mud and compost could be exploited to achieve both metal trapping and an increase in organic carbon content. Leaching batch tests were performed on four different systems: soil, soil and treated red mud, soil and compost, soil and compost plus treated red mud. Dilute sulfuric acid and EDTA solution (liquid/solid ratio 10:1) were used in the tests—sulfuric acid to mimic acid rain and EDTA in accordance with general methods for estimating plant-available metals. Sequential extraction was also applied to the same samples. The use of relatively non-specific extractant reagents in the leaching tests led to a kinetic approach (already proposed in literature), because measurements of trace elements extracted at equilibrium cannot be related to their speciation. Comparison of information obtainable by the kinetic approach to evaluation of data from leaching tests with results from sequential extraction enabled evaluation whether the kinetic fractionation method, a relatively rapid and simple procedure, furnishes adequate information about the mobility and bioavailability of trace elements. Especially interesting results were obtained for Mn, Zn, and Ni, present in large amounts in the soil studied—their leachability was significantly reduced by addition of red mud and compost, suggesting interesting perspectives in soil-remediation activity.     

Development of a method for recovery of 233U from thorium oxalate cake in reconversion step of reprocessing of irradiated thorium rods

A method is developed for the selective leaching of ²³³U from a thorium oxalate cake. The leaching capacity of ammonium carbonate and nitric acid have been investigated, showing that (NH₄)₂CO₃ leads to higher recovery. The maximum leaching efficiency is obtained using 0.5% ammonium carbonate, with a minimal thorium pick-up. A uranium recovery of 94% is obtained after three consecutive contact experiments in carbonate media, with minimal thorium uptake in the leachate. This process was applied to an actual plant stream, allowing the reduction of the ²³³U -activity from 5.64 to 0.3 Ci/g of thorium oxalate cake.