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Distribution and Characterization of Radionuclides in Soils from the Nevada Test Site¹

ABSTRACT

Selected physicochemical properties of Pu-bearing radioactive particles and their association with host soils from the Nevada Test Site (NTS) were studied to aid in assessing the environmental impact of the presence of the radionuclides in the area and to provide technological concepts for potential clean-up operations.

The dominant radioactive particles were amorphous to x-ray diffraction, very fragile by compression tests, and extremely porous with particle density <2.26 g/cm³. Physical properties of the particles suggested that they could be broken into smaller, respirable, sizes by saltation during wind erosion, and that their unique physical properties could be useful for mechanically separating them from the nonradioactive soil particles. Experimental results revealed that more than 90% of the total radioactivity was recovered in about 25% of the total sample weight through density separation techniques, and in about 18% of the total weight by a grinding-sieving process. Radioactive particles might, therefore, be removed from the contaminated soil by (i) a controlled vacuum collector, (ii) density separation, (iii) grinding-sieving separation, or (iv) a combination of these techniques on the basis of the density and compressibility differences between radioactive and nonradioactive particles.

Key Words: plutonium • fission • contamination • environmental impact

¹ Research sponsored jointly by the Nevada Operations Office and by the Office of Health and Environmental Research, U.S. Dep. of Energy, under contract W-7405-eng-26 with Union Carbide Corp. Publication no. 1665. Environ. Sci. Div., Oak Ridge Natl. Lab., Oak Ridge, TN 37830.

² Research Associate and Earth Sciences Section Head, respectively, ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Received for publication June 16, 1980.