Factors controlling the sorption of Cs, Ni and U in soil : A statistical analysis with experimental sorption data of caesium, nickel and uranium in soils from the Laxemar area

Abstract: In the fall of 2006, soils from three small valleys in the Laxemar/Oskarshamn area were sampled. A total of eight composite samples were characterized for a number of soil parameters that are important for geochemical sorption and were later also used in batch sorption experiments. Solid/liquid partition coefficients (Kd values) were then determined for seven radionuclides in each of the eight samples. To contribute to the interpretation of the sorption results together with the soil characterizations, this study aims to describe the sorption behavior of the radionuclides caesium, nickel and uranium and also discern which parameters that could provide a basis for estimating the strength of sorption of radionuclides in general. The methodology included quantitative methodologies such as compilation of chemical equilibrium diagrams by the software Hydra/Medusa and correlation analyses using the statistical software SPSS statistics. Based on the speciation diagrams of each radionuclide and identified important linear and non-linear relationships of the Kd values with a number of soil parameters, the following soil- and soil solution properties were found to have controlled the sorption of Cs, Ni and U, respectively, in the Laxemar soils. Cs: the specific surface area of the soil coupled to the clay content. Ni: the cation exchange capacity, alkaline solution pH, soil organic matter and dissolved organic matter. U: the cation exchange capacity, soil organic matter, dissolved organic matter, dissolved carbonate and alkaline solution pH. The soil that showed the strongest sorption varied between the nuclides, which can be related to the individual sorption behavior of caesium, nickel and uranium, as well as the different physicochemical properties of the soils. The parameters that should be prioritized in characterizations of soil samples are identified to be: solution pH, the cation exchange capacity, the specific surface area of the soil, soil organic matter and soil texture (clay content).