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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.

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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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