Sorption-desorption reactions assessing

The groundwater transport of radionuclides through waterbearing interbed layers in the Columbia River basalt formation will be controlled by reactions of the radionuclides with groundwater and interbed solids. These interactions must be understood to predict possible migration of radionuclides from a proposed radioactive waste repository in basalt. Precipitation and sorption on interbed solids are the principle reactions that retard radionuclide movement in the interbeds. The objective of the work described herein was to determine the sorption and desorption behavior of radionuclides important to safety assessment of a high-level radioactive waste repository in Columbia River basalt. The effects of groundwater composition, redox potential, radionuclide concentration, and temperature on these reactions were determined. 

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