Article pubs.acs.org/est
Impact of Natural Organic Matter on Uranium Transport through Saturated Geologic Materials: From Molecular to Column Scale Yu Yang,†,*,∥ James E. Saiers,† Na Xu,† Stefan G. Minasian,‡,§ Tolek Tyliszczak,‡ Stosh A. Kozimor,§ David K. Shuh,‡ and Mark O. Barnett⊥ †
School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA § Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87545, USA; LA-UR 11-07050 ⊥ Department of Civil Engineering, 238 Harbert Engineering Center, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, 36849, USA ‡
S Supporting Information *
ABSTRACT: The risk stemming from human exposure to actinides via the groundwater track has motivated numerous studies on the transport of radionuclides within geologic environments; however, the effects of waterborne organic matter on radionuclide mobility are still poorly understood. In this study, we compared the abilities of three humic acids (HAs) (obtained through sequential extraction of a peat soil) to cotransport hexavalent uranium (U) within water-saturated sand columns. Relative breakthrough concentrations of U measured upon elution of 18 pore volumes increased from undetectable levels (
