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Conceptual Modeling on the Adsorption and Transport of Uranium Using 3-D Groundwater Flow and Reactive Transport Models  

Choi, Byoung-Young (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute)
Koh, Yong-Kwon (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute)
Yun, Seong-Taek (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Korea University)
Kim, Geon-Young (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute)
Publication Information
Economic and Environmental Geology / v.41, no.6, 2008 , pp. 719-729 More about this Journal
Abstract
In this study, the speciation, adsorption, and transport of uranium in groundwater environments were simulated using geochemical models. The retarded transport of uranium by adsortption was effectively simulated using 3-D groundwater flow and reactive transport models. The results showed that most uranium was adsorbed(up to 99.5%) in a neutral pH(5.5 condition. Under the higher $pCO_2(10^{-2.5}atm)$ condition, however, the pH range where most uranium was absorbed was narrow from 6 to 7. Under very low $pCO_2(10^{-4.5}atm)$ condition, uranium was mostly absorbed in the relatively wide pH range between 5.5 and 8.5. In the model including anion complexes, the uranium adsorption decreased by fluoride complex below the pH of 6. The results of this study showed that uranium transport is strongly affected by hydrochemical conditions such as pH, $pCO_2$, and the kinds and concentrations of anions($Cl^-$, ${SO_4}^{2-}$, $F^-$). Therefore, geochemical models should be used as an important tool to predict the environmental impacts of uranium and other hazardous compounds in many site investigations.
Keywords
transport and adsorption of uranium; groundwater environment; geochemical models; reactive transport models;
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