Uranium adsorption in sediments varies with respect to grain size
Using experimental and modeling resources at EMSL, scientists from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory determined the equilibrium and kinetic properties of uranium(VI) adsorption to subsurface grains, which ranged in size from tiny clay particles to larger pieces of gravel. They found that the kinetics or the rate of adsorption onto the grains varies with respect to the grain size. Specifically, the larger-size grains adsorbed less uranium and did so at a slower rate than smaller grains. After determining the size-specific equilibrium and kinetic properties, the team created a series of mathematical formulas that allowed them to calculate uranium adsorption in a heterogeneous subsurface sample from the Hanford Site, a plutonium production complex in southeastern Washington State.
