The sorption of selected radionuclides on various metal and polymeric materials

Twenty-two various polymeric and metallic materials were evaluated for characteristic sorption properties with respect to selenium-75, strontium-85 and cesium-137 in synthetic ground water. These experiments were conducted to determine which materials would not influence sorption measurements and could be used in the design and fabrication of field apparatus to study radionuclide migration in fractured rock. This paper gives the results of static batch (Ksub(a)) sorption experiments along with details of the laboratory and analytical procedures. Of the materials tested, zirconium metal, Lucite, urethane, polycarbonate, Viton (E-60C) and fluorohydrocarbon (i.e., Teflon FEP and Teflon TFE) were found to show little or no sorption (<= .01 ml/cm2) for each of the radionuclides tested. Materials such as Neoprene, steel, Hycar, cold-rolled steel, nitrile and 316-stainless steel showed higher Ksub(a) values (>= 1.0 ml/cm 2) for at least one of radionuclides. Selenium-75 was found to exhibit the greatest overall sorption tendency. (Auth.)