Migration of Pu and Am

Results are reported from studies on the mechanisms involved in the migration of long-lived isotopes of Pu and Am released from radioactive waste depositories through fissures or pores in rocks and soils. The surface absorption coefficients of Pu and Am were measured in a static system by equilibrating solid samples of stone (solid cores of Los Alamos tuff and Idaho basalt) of known surface area with solutions of Pu or Am in the appropriate chemical milieu. It was shown that the static coefficients and physical constants of the system were sufficient to predict the distance migrated. A computer model of Pu and Am migration was developed