0000000000740620
AUTHOR
Ugras Kaplan
Geochemical Interactions of Plutonium with Opalinus Clay Studied by Spatially Resolved Synchrotron Radiation Techniques
Plutonium plays an important role within nuclear waste materials because of its long half-life and high radiotoxicity. The aim of this study was to investigate with high spatial resolution the reactivity of the more oxidized forms of Pu(V,VI) within Opalinus Clay (OPA) rock, a heterogeneous, natural argillaceous rock considered as a potential repository host. A combination of synchrotron based X-ray microprobe and bulk techniques was used to study the spatial distribution and molecular speciation of Pu within OPA after diffusion and sorption processes. Microscopic chemical images revealed a pronounced impact of geochemical heterogeneities concerning the reactivity of the natural barrier mat…
Speciation of neptunium during sorption and diffusion in natural clay
In argillaceous rocks, which are considered as a potential host rock for nuclear waste repositories, sorption and diffusion processes govern the migration behaviour of actinides like neptunium. For the safety analysis of such a repository, a molecular-level understanding of the transport and retardation phenomena of radioactive contaminants in the host rock is mandatory. The speciation of Np during sorption and diffusion in Opalinus Clay was studied at near neutral pH using a combination of spatially resolved synchrotron radiation techniques. During the sorption and diffusion experiments, the interaction of 8 μM Np(V) solutions with the clay lead to the formation of spots at the clay-water …