• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.29-35
• /
• 1990

Uranium solubilities have been calculated for a range of conditions expected in a nuclear waste disposal repository. Variables taken into consideration include the pH and Eh range expected for deep groundeaters, the effect of the composition of groundwater. The model used in these calculations is based on the assumption of chemical equilibrium. Calculations show that the major variables influencing uranium solubility under the repository conditions are pH and Eh. The results of this study can be applied to an assessment of the nuclear waste disposal.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 1998.09a
• /
• pp.87-118
• /
• 1998

Advantage of Water -Easy to Get 10$^{7}$ km$^{3}$ except of ice -Economical -Safety -High Solubility(a large relatice dielectronic constant) -Easy to Re-use -Easy to Waste

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.13-19
• /
• 2012

The long-lived fission products $^{79}Se$ and $^{99}Tc$ have been considered as the major concern nuclides for the disposal of radioactive waste because of their high solubilities and the existence of anionic species in natural water. In this study, the solubilities of $FeSe_2(s)$ and $TcO_2(s)$, known as respective Solubility Limiting Solid Phase (SLSP) of selenium and technetium, were measured in the KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel) groundwater under various pH and redox conditions. And their solubilities and major species were also calculated using geochemical codes under conditions similar to experimental solutions. Experimental results and calculation for $FeSe_2$ show that the solubility of selenium was found to be below $1{\times}10^{-6}mol/L$ under the condition of pH 8~9.5 and Eh=-0.3~-0.4 V while the dominant species was identified as $HSe^-$. For $TcO_2$, the solubility of technetium was found to be $5{\times}10^{-8}{\sim}1{\times}10^{-9}mol/L$ in the solutions of pH 6~9.5 and Eh<-0.1 V, while the dominant species was $TcO(OH)_2$. However, when the Eh of the solution is -0.35 V, $TcO(OH)_3^-$ and $TcO_4^-$ are calculated as the dominant species at pH 10.5~12 and pH>12, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
• /
• 2019.05a
• /
• pp.393-394
• /
• 2019

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
• /
• 2017.10a
• /
• pp.137-138
• /
• 2017

The spectroscopic reference data for plutonium at different temperatures are necessary information for the chemical speciation and evaluation of thermodynamic data at elevated temperature. This work is the initial step to extend research activities for understanding the plutonium chemistry in aquatic solutions at high temperature. The hydrolysis of Pu(III) and the solubility of Pu(III) hydroxide at the elevated temperature will be discussed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.42 no.5
• /
• pp.552-561
• /
• 2010

This study investigates the solubility of neptunium (Np) in the deep natural groundwater of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute Underground Research Tunnel (KURT). According to a Pourbaix diagram (pH-$E_h$ diagram) that was calculated using the geochemical modeling program PHREEQC 2.0, the redox potential and the carbonate ion concentration both control the solubility of neptunium. The carbonate effect becomes pronounced when the total carbonate concentration is higher than $1.5\;{\times}\;10^{-2}$ M at $E_h$ = -200 mV and the pH value is 10. Given the assumption that the solubility-limiting stable solid phase is $Np(OH)_4(am)$ under the reducing condition relevant to KURT, the soluble neptunium concentrations were in the range of $1\;{\times}\;10^{-9}$ M to $3\;{\times}\;10^{-9}$ M under natural groundwater conditions. However, the solubility of neptunium, which was calculated with the formation constants of neptunium complexes selected in an OECD-NEA TDB review, strongly deviates from the value measured in natural groundwater. Thus, it is highly recommended that a prediction of neptunium solubility is based on the formation constants of ternary Np(IV) hydroxo-carbonato complexes, even though the presence of those complexes is deficient in terms of the characterization of neptunium species. Based on a comparison of the measurements and calculations of geochemical modeling, the formation constants for the "upper limit" of the Np(IV) hydroxo-carbonato complexes, namely $Np(OH)_y(CO_3)_z^{4-y-2z}$, were appraised as follows: log $K^{\circ}_{122}\;=\;-3.0{\pm}0.5$ for $Np(OH)_2(CO_3)_2^{2-}$, log $K^{\circ}_{131}\;=\;-5.0{\pm}0.5$ for $Np(OH)_3(CO_3)^-$, and log $K^{\circ}_{141}\;=\;-6.0{\pm}0.5$ for $Np(OH)_4(CO_3)^{2-}$.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.189-197
• /
• 2007

The solubility of U(VI) hydrolysis products was determined by using a laser-induced breakdown detection (LIBD) technique. The experiments were carried out at uranium concentrations in range from $2{\times}10^{-4}\;M\;to\;4{\times}10^{-6}\;M$, pH values between 3.8 and 7.0, the constant ionic strength of 0.1 M $NaClO_4$ and the temperature of $25.0{\pm}0.1^{\circ}C$. The solubility product of U(VI) hydrolysis products was calculated from LIBD results by using the hydrolysis constants selected in NEA-TDB. The solubility product extrapolated to zero ionic strength, ${\log}K^{\circ}_{sp}=-22.85{\pm}0.23$ was calculated by using a specific ion interaction theory (SIT). The spectral features of ionic species in uranium solutions were investigated by using a conventional UV-visible absorption spectrophotometer and a fluorophotometer, respectively, $(UO_2)_2(OH)_2^{2+}\;and\;(UO_2)_3(OH)_5^+$ were dominant species at uranium concentration of $2{\times}10^{-4}\;M$.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.75-87
• /
• 2004

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
• /
• 2005.11b
• /
• pp.51-59
• /
• 2005

The long-lived fission product $^{99}Tc$ is present in large quantities in nuclear wastes and its chemical behavior in aqueous solution is of considerable interest. Under oxidizing conditions technetium exists as the anionic species $TcO_4^-$ whereas under the reducing conditions it is generally predicted that technetium will be present as $TcO_2{\cdot}nH_2O$. Technetium oxide was prepared by reduction of a technetate solution with $Sn^{2+}$. The concentration of total technetium and Tc(IV) species in the solutions were periodically determined by separating the oxidized and reduced technetium species using a solvent extraction procedure and counting the beta activity of the $^{99}Tc$ with a liquid scintillation counter. The experimental results show that the rate of oxidation of Tc(IV) in simulated groundwater and redistilled water is about $(1.49{\~}1.86){\times}10^{-9} mol/(L{\cdot}d$) under aerobic conditions, but Tc(IV) in simulated groundwater and redistilled water is not oxidized under anaerobic conditions. Under aerobic or anaerobic conditions the solubility of Tc(IV) oxide in simulated groundwater and redistilled water is equal on the whole.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.371-382
• /
• 2022

Carbonates are inorganic ligands that are abundant in natural groundwater. They strongly influence radionuclide mobility by forming strong complexes, thereby increasing solubility and reducing soil absorption rates. We characterized the spectroscopic properties of Am(III)-carbonate species using UV-Vis absorption and time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. The deconvoluted absorption spectra of aqueous Am(CO₃)₂^- and Am(CO₃)₃^3- species were identified at red-shifted positions with lower molar absorption coefficients compared to the absorption spectrum of aqua Am³⁺. The luminescence spectrum of Am(CO₃)₃^3- was red-shifted from 688 nm for Am³⁺ to 695 nm with enhanced intensity and an extended lifetime. Colloidal Am(III)-carbonate compounds exhibited absorption at approximately 506 nm but had non-luminescent properties. Slow formation of colloidal particles was monitored based on the absorption spectral changes over the sample aging time. The experimental results showed that the solubility of Am(III) in carbonate solutions was higher than the predicted values from the thermodynamic constants in OECD-NEA reviews. These results emphasize the importance of kinetic parameters as well as thermodynamic constants to predict radionuclide migration. The identified spectroscopic properties of Am(III)-carbonate species enable monitoring time-dependent species evolution in addition to determining the thermodynamics of Am(III) in carbonate systems.