Abstract
The predominant mineral, montmorillonite, in smectite-rich clays, the most promising buffer & backfill, controls their sorption characteristics towards radionuclides. The role of sulphate on Am(III) sorption by Na-montmorillonite has been investigated. The influence of pH, ionic strength & \({\text{[SO}}_{{4}}^{{2 - }} {]}\) on Am(III) sorption by Na-montmorillonite has been studied. The contribution of Am(III) hydroxo complexes in aqueous speciation is ~ 50% at pH 7.5 while that of Eu(III) hydroxo complexes is ~ 10%. In contrast to Eu(III), Am(III) sorption could be modeled by either ≡SOAmOH+ or ≡SOAmCO3. Log K for Am(III) ion exchange & ≡SOAmCO3 is less than that for similar Eu(III) species.
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Kar, A.S., Patel, M.A. & Tomar, B.S. Retention of Am(III) by montmorillonite: effect of sulphate. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 332, 3069–3077 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09014-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09014-z