Distribution of some elements in a solid - aqueous system: Mineral phosphate in contact with groundwater

The distribution of U, Th, Am, Eu, Cs, Sr and Ra in a solid-aqueous system, natural phosphate in contact with groundwater was investigated using g- and a-spectroscopy. The effect of contact time, pH, particle size of the solid phase, and the concentration of a concurrent element Ca, were studied. The results show that more than 98% of the actinide elements and europium are adsorbed by the solid phase under all conditions. The fission products Cs and Sr have different behaviors, depending on the experiment conditions. The behavior of Ra is closer to the actinides than to the fission products. There are small differences between the behaviors of the actinide elements, which can be interpreted by migration mechanism from the aqueous to the solid phase, i.e., adsorption or precipitation.