Valence effects of sorption: laboratory control of valence state

Estimation of the rates of migration of nuclides from nuclear waste repositories required knowledge of the interaction of these nuclides with the components of the geological formations in the path of the migration. These interactions will be dependent upon the valence state and speciation of the nuclide. If the valence state is not known, then there can be little confidence in use of the data for safety analysis. An electrochemical method of valence state control was developed which makes use of a porous electrode in a flow system containing a column of the adsorbent. By use of this method and solvent extraction analyses of the valence states, a number of reactions of interest to HLW repositories were investigated. These include the reduction of Np(V) and Tc(VII) by crushed basalt and other minerals. For the reduction of Np(V) by basalt, the experiments indicate that sorption on basalt increases with pH and that most of the Np is reduced to Np(IV). The adsorbed Np(IV) is very difficult to remove from the basalt. For the experiments with Tc(VII), the results are considerably more complicated. The results of these experiments are used to assess some of the techniques and methods currently used in safety analyses of proposed HLW repositories. Perhaps the most important consideration is that predictive modeling of valence change reactions, such as the reduction of Np(V) and Tc(VII), must be used with considerable caution, and the occurrence of such reactions should be verified as best as possible with experiments using valence state control and analyses. 13 references, 3 figures, 1 table