Experimental values for 241Am and 239+240Pu Kd's in French agricultural soils.
Experiments resulted in determination of K(d) values for (241)Am and (239+240)Pu in 6 soils whose characteristics are representative of agricultural soils found around French nuclear power plant sites. These experiments were conducted in stirred batch reactors and the sorption isotherms were plotted. For americium, the experimental K(d) values varied from 60 to 4000 Lkg(-1) (d.w.) and correlated well with soil pH, K(d) increased with increasing pH. As regards plutonium, the experimental K(d) values varied between 300 and 9600 Lkg(-1) and decreased with increasing total sand content. The estimation of the total residence time determined by using a particular and experimentally refined value for K(d)-with a model similar to those currently used for impact assessments-illustrates the importance of establishing values that are better suited to specific soils than generic values. Lastly, depending on the type of evaluation envisioned, it might be important to look for a specific value of K(d)-and even modelling-more suited to the specificity of the scenario studied, by performing more complex, or even in situ, experiments.
Roussel-Debet
Sylvie
S
Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety, Environment and Emergency Operations Division, Department for the Study of Radionuclide Behaviour in Ecosystems, IRSN/DEI/SECRE/LRE, St-Paul-lez-Durance, France. sylvie.roussel-debet@irsn.fr
D000327:Adsorption; D000383:Agriculture; D000576:Americium / Q000032:analysis*; D005602:France; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007700:Kinetics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011005:Plutonium / Q000032:analysis*; D011210:Power Plants; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*
D012987:Soil; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; D011005:Plutonium; D000576:Americium