Sorption behavior of U and Np on zeolite

Ishidera, Takamitsu ; Tachi, Yukio  ; Akagi, Yosuke*; Ashida, Takashi 

In Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, radionuclides are removed from contaminated water by the decontamination system using zeolite. In this study, sorption properties of U and Np on zeolite were investigated by batch sorption experiments to obtain fundamental information for predicting the radionuclides inventory. High distribution coefficients were observed for U in the simulated sea water diluted 10 times by deionized water. In contrast, low distribution coefficient of U was observed in simulated sea water. Low distribution coefficients were observed for Np independent of simulated sea water concentration. Batch sorption experiments of U carried out as functions of sodium ion and total inorganic carbon concentration suggested that the distribution coefficient of U was strongly affected by the total inorganic carbon concentration. This result suggests that aqueous species of radionuclides and their sorption behavior need to be considered to estimate the inventory of radionuclides in zeolite.