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234U/230TH Ratio as an Indicator of Redox State, and U, TH, and RA Behavior in Briney Aquifers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2011

J. C. Laul ,
M. R. Smith  and
N. Hubbard
J. C. Laul
Affiliation:
Pacific Northwest Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99352 USA
M. R. Smith
Affiliation:
Pacific Northwest Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99352 USA
N. Hubbard
Affiliation:
Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH 43201 USA
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Abstract

The 234U/230Th ratio serves as an in-situ indicator of the redox state in groundwater aquifers. The higher this ratio, the more U there is in the +6 valance state and thus a less reducing environment. Radium sorption is retarded in the shallow aquifer and is dependent on the CaSO4 content and the redox state. Relative to Ra, U and Th are highly sorbed. The total retardation factor for Th is ∼1400 and mean sorption time for 228Th is ∼10 days in the shallow zone. The desorption rate of Ra is significantly slower in the shallow than in the deep aquifer. There is no effect of colloids in brines.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 50: Symposium STOCKHOLM – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management IX , 1985 , 673
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1985

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References

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