Fixation Mechanisms and Desorption Rates of Sorbed Cs in High-Level Waste Contaminated Subsurface Sediments: Implications to Future Behavior and In-Ground Stability

Research is investigating mineralogic and geochemical factors controlling the desorption rate of 137Cs+ from subsurface sediments on the Hanford Site contaminated with different types of high level waste. The project will develop kinetic data and models that describe the release rates of 137Cs+ from contaminated sediments over a range of potential geochemical conditions that may evolve during waste retrieval from overlying tanks, or in response to meteoric water infiltration. Scientific understanding and computational techniques will be established to predict the future behavior of sorbed, in-ground 137Cs+