Migration Behavior of Radionuclides (⁶⁰Co, ⁸⁵Sr and ¹³⁷Cs) in Aerated Sandy Soil Layer

Abstract

Differences of the migration behavior and desorption process for radionuclides (⁶⁰Co, ⁸⁵Sr and ¹³⁷Cs) in aerated sandy soil layer were studied by sprinkle of distilled water into the contaminated soil with above nuclides in column. Influence of difference desorption process on radionuclide migration was examined by changing the volume of distilled water sprinkled like rain on the contaminated soil.

Quantity of sprinkled water affected the concentration distribution of each radionuclide in soil layer. Each nuclide migrated deeper in the layer according to the increase of water amount, and especially, migration behavior of ⁸⁵Sr was remarkably influenced by water amount. It is observed that as to ⁸⁵Sr maximum contamination part in soil layer moved to deeper layer with increase of water amount, and that, as to ⁶⁰Co and ¹³⁷Cs, it moved almost never. On the other hand, activity concentration of ⁶⁰Co or ¹³⁷Cs in effluent was rather high (10⁻⁶ μCi/ml) compared with that of ⁸⁵Sr, which could not be detected therein.

KEYWORDS:

• radionuclide migration
• radioactivity
• desorption process
• cobalt 60
• strontium 85
• cesium 137
• depth distribution
• contaminated soil
• sprinkled water amount