Influence of Iron Oxide Minerals on the Uranium Migration in Granitic Rock

During rock weathering in the natural environment, physical and mineralogical changes occur in the host rock material, and many studies of more weathered rock show a tendency for trace elements, including uranium (U), to be associated with iron oxides. Mineralogical changes, such as alteration of biotite and the new formation of iron oxides, provide different phases for various species to react with. An understanding of the interaction between U and iron oxides is very important for assessing the retardation capacity of geological systems into which U may be disposed. Along with U, some rare earth elements (REEs) are usually considered to be good chemical analogues of certain radiotoxic nuclides. Our work is focused on studying the behavior of U in granitic rock and its interaction with primary and secondary oxide minerals