Abstract
COBALT-60 and certain transuranics such as 244Cm, 241Am and 238Pu are migrating in trace amounts from original intermediate-level waste disposal pits and trenches in the radioactive waste burial grounds of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee1. These radionuclides are transported in trace amounts from the trench 7 area and are to some extent adsorbed by soil and shale along the route of migration. We show here that the adsorbed radionuclides, which are very strongly bound in the soil, are being retained primarily by manganese oxides in the soils. Our data illustrate the importance of the manganese oxide component of soils and sediments in general in controlling 60Co and actinide mobility. Certain implications of these results for the field of radioactive waste management will also be discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Means, J. L., Crerar, D. A. & Duguid, J. O. Science (in the press).
Means, J. L., Crerar, D. A., Borcsik, M. P. & Duguid, J. O. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta (submitted).
Schwertmann, U. Can. J. Soil Sci. 53, 244 (1973).
Jenne, E. A. Adv. Chem. Ser. 73, 337 (Am. chem. Soc., 1968).
Chao, T. T. & Theobald, P. K., Jr Econ. Geol. 71, 1560 (1976).
McKenzie, R. M. Geoderm. 8, 29 (1972).
Turekian, K. K. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 41, 1139 (1977).
Crerar, D. A., Cormick, R. K. & Barnes, H. L. Geology and Geochemistry of Manganese (ed. Varentsov, I. M.) 1 (Hungarian Acad. Sci., Budapest, in the press).
Murray, J. W. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 39, 505 (1975).
Morgan, J. J. & Stumm, W. J. Colloid Sci. 19, 347 (1964); Adv. Water Pollut. Res. 1, 102 (1965).
Alternatives for Managing Wastes from Reactors and Post-Fission Operations in the LWR Fuel Cycle, ERDA-76-43, 2 and 4
Hammond, A. L. Science 183, 502, 644 (1974).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
MEANS, J., CRERAR, D., BORCSIK, M. et al. Radionuclide adsorption by manganese oxides and implications for radioactive waste disposal. Nature 274, 44–47 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/274044a0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/274044a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
