Sorbent materials for rapid remediation of wash water during radiologkal event relief

Procedures for removing harmful radiation from interior and exterior surfaces of homes and businesses after a nuclear or radiological disaster may generate large volumes of radiologically contaminated waste water. Rather than releasing this waste water to potentially contaminate surrounding areas, it is preferable to treat it onsite. Retention barrels are a viable option because of their simplicity in preparation and availability of possible sorbent materials. This study investigated the use Of aluminosilicate clay minerals as sorbent materials to retain Cs-137, Sr-85, and Eu-152. Vermiculite strongly retained Cs-137, though other radionuclides displayed diminished affinity for the surface. Montmorillonite exhibited increased affinity to sorb Sr-85 and Eu-152 in the presence of higher concentrations of Cs-137. To simulate flow within retention barrels, vermiculite was mixed with sand and used in small-scale column experiments. The GoldSim contaminate fate module was used to model breakthrough and assess the feasibility of using clay minerals as sorbent materials in retention barrels. The modeled radionuclide breakthrough profiles suggest that vermiculite-sand and montmorillonite-sand filled barrels could be used for treatment of contaminated water generated from field operations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.