On the Influence of Ionic Strength on Radium and Strontium Sorption to Sandy Loam Soils

Models which can estimate environmental transport of radioactive contaminants in natural and engineered systems are required to 1) deploy effective remediation strategies for contaminated sites, 2) design waste repositories for future waste streams, and 3) ensure protection of human and environmental health in all cases. These models require accurate transport parameters in order to correctly predict how these contaminants will move in the subsurface. This work aimed to determine more accurately the distribution coefficients for radium and strontium sorption to Savannah River Site (SRS) soils. Radium and strontium sorption to the soils was found to be highly dependent upon ionic strength due to competition for ion exchange sites. Radium distribution coefficients (Kd) for the clayey soil were determined to be 185.1 ± 25.63 L kg-1 and 30.35 ± 0.66 L kg-1 for ionic strengths of 0.02M and 0.1M as NaCl which is the approximate ionic strength of groundwater at the SRS. Radium distribution coefficients for the sandy soil were determined to be 24.95 ± 2.97 L kg-1 and 9.05 ± 0.36 L kg-1 for ionic strengths of 0.02M and 0.1M as NaCl. Sorption of Ra2+ was generally greater than Sr2+, consistent with the frequent use of higher distribution coefficients for Ra in performance assessments

On the Differences Between Blood and Red Ink: A Second Look at the Policy Arguments for the Abrogation of the Economic Loss Rule in Consumer Litigation

The long-running debate concerning the scope of the economic loss rule\u27 presents issues which are important in themselves and as illustrations of broader questions.2 Litigants and commentators champion the opposing schools of thought through close analysis of precedent;3 the exchange of views as to the nature of tort law and contract law;4 and occasionally, economic analysis

Carbon-14 geochemistry at the Savannah River Site

Carbon-14 is among the key radionuclides driving risk at the E-Area Low-Level Waste Disposal Facility on the Savannah River Site (SRS). Much of this calculated risk is believed to be the result of having to make conservative assumptions in risk calculations because of the lack of site-specific data. The original geochemical data package (Kaplan 2006) recommended that performance assessments and composite analyses for the SRS assume that {sup 14}C did not sorbed to sediments or cementitious materials, i.e., that C-14 K{sub d} value (solid:liquid concentration ratio) be set to 0 mL/g (Kaplan 2006). This recommendation was based primarily on the fact that no site-specific experimental work was available and the assumption that the interaction of anionic {sup 14}C as CO{sub 2}{sup 2-}) with similarly charged sediments or cementitious materials would be minimal. When used in reactive transport equations, the 0 mL/g Kd value results in {sup 14}C not interacting with the solid phase and moving quickly through the porous media at the same rate as water. The objective of this study was to quantify and understand how aqueous {sup 14}C, as dissolved carbonate, sorbs to and desorbs from SRS sediments and cementitious materials. Laboratory studies measuring the sorption of {sup 14}C, added as a carbonate, showed unequivocally that {sup 14}C-carbonate K{sub d} values were not equal to 0 mL/g for any of the solid phases tested, but they required several months to come to steady state. After six months of contact, the apparent K{sub d} values for a clayey sediment was 3,000 mL/g, for a sandy sediment was 10 mL/g, for a 36-year-old concrete was 30,000 mL/g, and for a reducing grout was 40 mL/g. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that (ad)sorption rates were appreciably faster than desorption rates, indicating that a kinetic sorption model, as opposed to the steady-state K{sub d} model, may be a more accurate description of the {sup 14}C-carbonate sorption process. A second study demonstrated that the {sup 14}C-carbonate sorbed very strongly onto the various materials and could not be desorbed by anion exchanged with high concentrations of carbonate or nitrate. High phosphate concentrations were able to desorb {sup 14}C-carbonate from the 36-year-old concrete sample, but not the clayey sediment sample. Together these geochemistry studies support the use of non-zero K{sub d} values in risk calculations on the SRS. For performance assessment (PA) calculations, {sup 14}C would be moving with the groundwater, remaining in contact with sediment for days, not months. Therefore for purposes of SRS risk calculations, it is appropriate to select sorption values after a couple days of contact, departing from the traditional definition that states K{sub d} values reflect the system under steady state conditions. Such an “apparent K{sub d} value,” would be expected to provide a better (and more conservative) estimate of what to expect under SRS PA conditions. Based on these results, recommended apparent K{sub d} values for use in the PA are 1 mL/g for sandy sediments and 30 mL/g for clayey sediments

Nucleon-Nucleon Scattering under Spin-Isospin Reversal in Large-N_c QCD

The spin-flavor structure of certain nucleon-nucleon scattering observables derived from the large N_c limit of QCD in the kinematical regime where time-dependent mean-field theory is valid is discussed. In previous work, this regime was taken to be where the external momentum was of order N_c which precluded the study of differential cross sections in elastic scattering. Here it is shown that the regime extends down to order N_c^{1/2} which includes the higher end of the elastic regime. The prediction is that in the large N_c limit, observables describable via mean-field theory are unchanged when the spin and isospin of either nucleon are both flipped. This prediction is tested for proton-proton and neutron-proton elastic scattering data and found to fail badly. We argue that this failure can be traced to a lack of a clear separation of scales between momentum of order N_c^{1/2} and N_c^1 when N_c is as small as three. The situation is compounded by an anomalously low particle production threshold due to approximate chiral symmetry.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur

Two-stage spin-flop transitions in S = 1/2 antiferromagnetic spin chain BaCu_2Si_2O_7

Two-stage spin-flop transitions are observed the in quasi-one-dimensional antiferromagnet, BaCu${}_2$Si${}_2$O${}_7$. A magnetic field applied along the easy axis induces a spin-flop transition at 2.0 T followed by a second transition at 4.9 T. The magnetic susceptibility indicates the presence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) antisymmetric interactions between the intrachain neighboring spins. We discuss a possible mechanism whereby the geometrical competition between DM and interchain interactions, as discussed for the two-dimensional antiferromagnet La${}_2$CuO${}_4$, causes the two-stage spin-flop transitions.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures (included), accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Laboratory And Lysimeter Experimentation And Transport Modeling Of Neptunium And Strontium In Savannah River Site Sediments

The Savannah River Site (SRS) conducts performance assessment (PA) calculations to determine the appropriate amount of low-level radiological waste that can be safely disposed on site. Parameters are included in these calculations that account for the interaction between the immobile solid phase and the mobile aqueous phase. These parameters are either the distribution coefficient (K{sub d} value) or the apparent solubility value (K{sub sp}). These parameters are readily found in the literature and are used throughout the DOE complex. One shortcoming of K{sub d} values is that they are only applicable to a given set of solid and aqueous phase conditions. Therefore, a given radionuclide may have several K{sub d} values as it moves between formations and comes into contact with different solids and different aqueous phases. It is expected that the K{sub d} construct will be appropriate to use for a majority of the PA and for a majority of the radionuclides. However, semi-mechanistic models would be more representative in isolated cases where the chemistry is especially transitory or the radionuclide chemistry is especially complex, bringing to bear multiple species of varying sorption tendencies to the sediment. Semi-mechanistic models explicitly accommodate the dependency of K{sub d} values, or other sorption parameters, on contaminant concentration, competing ion concentrations, pH-dependent surface charge on the adsorbent, and solute species distribution. Incorporating semi-mechanistic concepts into geochemical models is desirable to make the models more robust and technically defensible. Furthermore, these alternative models could be used to augment or validate a Kd?based DOE Order 435.1 Performance Assessment. The objectives of this study were to: 1) develop a quantitative thermodynamically-based model for neptunium sorption to SRS sediments, and 2) determine a sorption constant from an SRS 11-year lysimeter study. The modeling studies were conducted with existing data sets. The first data set used laboratory generated Np sorption data as a function of concentration (three orders of magnitude) and as a function of pH (four orders of magnitude of proton concentration). In this modeling exercise, a very simple solution was identified by assuming that all sorption occurred only to the iron oxides in the sediment and that all the added NpO{sub 4}{sup -} remained in the oxidized state and was not reduced to the Np(IV) state (as occurs rapidly with Pu(V)). With rather limited input data, very good agreement between experimental and modeling results was observed. This modeling approach would be easy to add to the PA with little additional data requirements. This model would be useful in a system where pH is expected to change greatly, such as directly beneath a grout or concrete structure. The second model discussed in the report was to derive strontium K{sub d} values from data collected in an 11-year-old field transport study. In this controlled lysimeter study, a sensitivity analysis was conducted of hydrological and chemical processes that influence contaminant transport, including diffusion coefficients, seepage velocity, and K{sub d} value. The best overall K{sub d} derived from the model fit to the data was 32 L kg{sup -1}, which was the same value that was previously measured in traditional laboratory batch sorption studies. This was an unexpected result given the differences in experimental conditions between the batch test and the lysimeter flow through test, in particular the differences between strontium adsorption and desorption processes occurring in the latter test and not in the former. There were some trends in the lysimeter strontium data that were not predicted by the K{sub d} model, which suggest that other geochemical processes are likely also controlling strontium transport. Strontium release and cation exchange are being evaluated. These results suggest that future modeling efforts (e.g., PAs) could be improved by employing a more robust semi-empirical modeling approach to transient or complex conditions

Plutonium Immobilization and Mobilization by Soil Organic Matter

The human and environmental risks associated with Pu disposal, remediation, and nuclear accidents scenarios stems mainly from the very long half-lives of several of its isotopes. The SRS, holding one-third of the nation’s Pu inventory, has a long-term stewardship commitment to investigation of Pu behavior in the groundwater and downgradient vast wetlands. Pu is believed to be essentially immobile due to its low solubility and high particle reactivity to mineral phase or natural organic matter (NOM). For example, in sediments collected from a region of SRS, close to a wetland and a groundwater plume, 239,240Pu concentrations suggest immobilization by NOM compounds, as Pu correlate with NOM contents. Micro-SXRF data indicate, however, that Pu does not correlate with Fe. However, previous studies reported Pu can be transported several kilometers in surface water systems, in the form of a colloidal organic matter carrier, through wind/water interactions. The role of NOM in both immobilizing or re-mobilizing Pu thus has been demonstrated. Our results indicate that more Pu (IV) than (V) was bound to soil colloidal organic matter (COM), amended at far-field concentrations. Contrary to expectations, the presence of NOM in the F-Area soil did not enhance Pu fixation to the organic-rich soil, when compared to the organic-poor soil or the mineral phase from the same soil source, due to the formation of COM-bound Pu. Most importantly, Pu uptake by organic-rich soil decreased with increasing pH because more NOM in the colloidal size desorbed from the particulate fraction at elevated pH, resulting in greater amounts of Pu associated with the COM fraction. This is in contrast to previous observations with low-NOM sediments or minerals, which showed increased Pu uptake with increasing pH levels. This demonstrates that despite Pu immobilization by NOM, COM can convert Pu into a more mobile form. Sediment Pu concentrations in the SRS F-Area wetland were correlated to total organic carbon and total nitrogen contents and even more strongly to hydroxamate siderophore (HS) concentrations. The HS were detected in the particulate or colloidal phases of the sediments but not in the low molecular fractions (\u3c 1000 Da). Macromolecules which scavenged the majority of the potentially mobile Pu were further separated from the bulk mobile organic matter fraction (“water extract”) via isoelectric focusing experiment (IEF). An ESI FTICR-MS spectral comparison of the IEF extract and a siderophore standard (desferrioxamine; DFO) suggested the presence of HS functionalities in the IEF extract

ASSESSMENT OF STREAM FISH MORTALITY FROM SHORT-TERM EXPOSURE TO ILLITE CLAYS USED AS AN IN SITU METHOD FOR REMEDIATING 137CS CONTAMINATED WETLANDS

Due to their physical properties, illite clays can sorb cesium-137 almost irreversibly, and therefore sequester contamination from the environment. However, applying large amounts of clay to natural aquatic habitats for in situ remediation purposes may create conditions of high turbidity and sedimentation. To evaluate potential effects of turbidity from illite application on survivorship of stream fish, yellowfin shiners (Notropis lutipinnis) and tessellated darters (Etheostoma olmstedi) were subjected to treatment with two different types of clay in flow-through simulated stream raceways. Turbidity and fish mortality were subsequently monitored for seven days. At 2-m downstream from the application point, mean turbidity peaked during clay application at 525 and 72 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) in the air-floated illite and semi-dry illite treatments, respectively. Turbidity returned to levels similar to that of the controls (4-6 NTU) after four hours in the air-floated illite raceways and one hour in the semi-dry illite raceways. Although the majority of the suspended clay was quickly flushed from the system and the remaining settled to the bottom, turbidity did continue to fluctuate because of fish movements and sediment resuspension. Fish mortality did not significantly differ among control and illite treated raceways

Using Geological Facies to Estimate Chromate Sorption to Soils

Quantifying the extent to which contaminant metals bind to subsurface soils is important for risk assessment, the tendency for a contaminant to migrate, and developing environmental remediation strategies. Unfortunately, subsurface soils vary widely in their composition, which in turn affect their tendency to bind metals. The hypothesis of this study was predicated on how a better understanding of geological facies would reduce uncertainty associated with predicting contaminant metal sorption. Facies are layers of sediment deposited in the subsurface due to similar depositional conditions, including energy of an overlying waterway. As such, facies are expected to have similar assemblages of minerals, particle size distributions, origins of organic matter, and similar microbial population structures. These are all important factors affecting contaminant metal sorption. The approach of this study was to collect 42 composite soil samples from a 5 m by 1.5 m grid outcrop in Graniteville, South Carolina and five end-member facies samples. The fraction of each of the five facies comprising the 42 composite soil samples were estimated. Particle size distribution (gravel, sand, silt, and clay fractions), pH, organic matter (OM), iron coating content, and microbial colony forming units were determined for each composite soil and the five end-member facies soils. Because hexavalent chromium (Cr) is the most common contaminant metal in the U.S. to exceed drinking water limits, this highly toxic and soluble metal was used as a model contaminant to provide a measure of contaminant sorption. Chromium distribution coefficients (Kd = Crsoil/Crwater) were measured. Significant correlations were identified between several soil chemical and microbial properties. A significant correlation (r = 0.423; p ≤ 0.05, d.f. = 47) was also determined between measured Kd values and Kd values calculated based on knowledge of facies Kd values. Importantly, the calculated values were characterized by large amount of inherent error. Additional work is needed to determine the applicability of this approach for remediation of contaminated sites and how best to identify appropriate facies for this novel application