PNNL

Abstract

We investigated the dynamics of U release between pore water fractions, during river stage changes from two contaminated capillary fringe sediments. Samples were from 7.0 m and 7.6 m below ground surface (bgs) in the Hanford 300 area. Sediments were packed into columns and saturated with Hanford groundwater for three to 84 days. After specified times, > 48 µm radius (calculated) sediment pores were drained, followed by draining pores to 15 µm radius. U release in the first two weeks was similar between sediments and pore sizes with a range of 4.4 to 5.6 µM U in the 14 day sample. The 7.0 m bgs sediment U declined in the larger pores to 0.22 µM at day 84, whereas the small pores released U to 6.7 µM at day 84. The 7.6 m bgs sediment released 1.4 µM on day 84, in the large pores, but continuously released U from the smaller pores (13.2 uM on day 84). The continuous release of U has resulted in a diffusion gradient from the smaller to larger pores. The observed differences in U pore-water concentrations between the two sediment samples were attributed to co-precipitation of U with carbonates. A mineral phase in the sediments was also identified as an U-carbonate species, similar to rutherfordine [UO2(CO3)].