Citation:

Kaminski, M., C. J. Mertz, J. Jerden, M. Kalensky, N. Kivenas, AND M. L. MAGNUSON. A case study of cesium sorption onto concrete materials and evaluation of wash agents: Implications for wide area recovery. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. Elsevier B.V., Amsterdam, Netherlands, 7(3):103140, (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2019.103140

Impact/Purpose:

The sorption and desorption properties of radionuclides onto common building materials such as concrete are critical factors in the improvement of techniques for mitigating a release of nuclear or radiological material to the urban environment. A potential option for the early phase response period is washing down contaminated concrete surfaces, followed by collection and treatment of the contaminated wash water. To scientifically-support the viability of the wash down approach, this study presents a thorough characterization of the aggregate (mineral and rock) constituents of a common concrete mix and the sorption-desorption characteristics of cesium in potential washing solutions. To our knowledge, this study represents the only description of the mineral composition in the aggregate used in concrete and provides a screening of a wide variety of wash down reagents for desorbing cesium from these aggregate components. This study identifies various minerals with weathered surfaces that lead to the strong affinity for 137Cs from solution. These same mineral phases are prevalent in all types of building materials, extending our conclusions more broadly to the problem of wide-area urban decontamination. In addition, this study finds that because the cement phase in concrete lacks sorption sites, even deionized water is sufficient to release cesium from cement, suggesting that cesium found in the cement phase is due to physical sorption only. For practical washing of cesium from contaminated concrete, this study also identifies readily available and comparatively inexpensive solutions that may be useful in removing the cesium from the concrete aggregate.

Description:

The sorption and desorption properties of radionuclides onto common building materials such as concrete are critical factors in the improvement of techniques for mitigating a release of nuclear or radiological material to the urban environment. A potential option for the early phase response period is washing down contaminated concrete surfaces, followed by collection and treatment of the contaminated wash water. To scientifically-support the viability of the wash down approach, this study presents a thorough characterization of the aggregate (mineral and rock) constituents of a common concrete mix and the sorption-desorption characteristics of cesium in potential washing solutions. To our knowledge, this study represents the only description of the mineral composition in the aggregate used in concrete and provides a screening of a wide variety of wash down reagents for desorbing cesium from these aggregate components. This study identifies various minerals with weathered surfaces that lead to the strong affinity for 137Cs from solution. These same mineral phases are prevalent in all types of building materials, extending our conclusions more broadly to the problem of wide-area urban decontamination. In addition, this study finds that because the cement phase in concrete lacks sorption sites, even deionized water is sufficient to release cesium from cement, suggesting that cesium found in the cement phase is due to physical sorption only. For practical washing of cesium from contaminated concrete, this study also identifies readily available and comparatively inexpensive solutions that may be useful in removing the cesium from the concrete aggregate.

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