Batch Kd measurements of nuclides to estimate migration potential at the proposed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico

Laboratory measurements to determine the sorption distribution coefficients, Kd, of radionuclides present in, and potentially leached from, radioactive wastes, in contact with representative geologic media, have been conducted. The nuclides studied include Cs, Sr, Tc, Ru, Sb, Ce, Eu, Pu, Np, Cm, Am, U, and Pa. The crushed rock materials used were from the vicinity of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a project to isolate radioactive wastes in a bedded salt facility, near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Solutions used consist of salt brine and groundwater, specific to the WIPP site, plus distilled water, for laboratory intercomparisons. The batch Kd data reported, plus data from sorption and migration measurements being conducted or planned elsewhere, will be used to evaluate the potential for radionuclide migration from the bedded salt WIPP facility. The data can be used for transport modeling and for safety assessment determinations