URANIUM(VI) ADSORPTION AND TRANSPORT IN
CRUSHED GRANITE

Keum, Dong-Kwon; Choi, Byung-Jae; Baik, Min-Hoon; Hahn, Pil-Soo

doi:2002.7.2.103

Environmental Engineering Research 2002;7(2): 103-111. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4491/eer.2002.7.2.103

URANIUM(VI) ADSORPTION AND TRANSPORT IN CRUSHED GRANITE

Dong-Kwon Keum^†, Byung-Jae Choi, Min-Hoon Baik, and Pil-Soo Hahn

Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon 305-390, Korea

Corresponding Author: Dong-Kwon Keum ,Tel: +82-42-868-2058, Fax: +82-42-868-8850, Email: dkkeum@kaeri.re.kr

Received: February 14, 2002; Accepted: June 7, 2002.

ABSTRACT

The adsorption and transport characteristics of uranium (VI) by using a crushed-granite of Korean origin were investigated to better identify the adsorption processes involved and to obtain suitable data for models describing the uranium transport in the granite. In order to obtain the batch Kd and the breakthrough curve of uranium, experiments were conducted with both batch and column systems under the conditions of varying pH and temperature. Model prediction for the uranium transport was performed with the plate model of chromatography combined with two adsorption models: the equilibrium adsorption model and the kinetic adsorption model. The batch Kd was increased with temperature, indicating that the uranium adsorption onto the granite was endothermic. The pH dependency of the Kd showed a typical adsorption characteristic of actinides onto constituent mineral of geological media, which showed very strong adsorption in the range of pH 6 — 7. The uranium transport data was well described by the linear kinetic transport model. The result indicated that the uranium adsorption process was time-dependent, rather than in equilibrium during the migration in the column. The column Kd was much larger than the batch Kj at the same total concentration and pH.

Keywords: adsorption | granite | kinetic transport model | transport | uranium