Abstract
Zirconium (Zr) is used in nuclear reactors (in the form of zircaloys) because of its low thermal neutron capture cross section and high resistance to corrosion. In aqueous solutions, zirconium exists exclusively in the tetravalent oxidation state. Zr(IV) hydrolyses strongly with Zr(OH)4(aq), and Zr(OH)6 2 − being the only relevant species in cementitious environments (and low zirconium concentration). Very high sorption of zirconium has been observed in all cementitious materials investigated to date (hydrated cement pastes, CSH phases). Sorption appears to increase with the degree of cement degradation, in particular from a C/S ratio of 1.3 to 1.0. While the actual sorption mechanisms for zirconium are not known, the available evidence suggests that mainly CSH phases are responsible for zirconium sorption on cementitious materials.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
G. Audi, A.H. Wapstra, C. Thibault, J. Blachot, O. Bersillon, Isotope masses from AME2003 atomic mass evaluation. Nucl. Phys. A 729 (2003)
C.F. Baes, R.E. Mesmer, The Hydrolysis of Cations, 2nd edn (Robert E. Krieger, New York, 1986)
P.L. Brown, in Chemical Thermodynamics of Zirconium, vol. 8, ed. by OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (Elsevier, North Holland, 2005)
M. Brownsword, M.C. Manning, N.J. Pilkington, S.J. Williams, The effect of cellulose degradation products on the solubility and sorption of zirconium and the sorption of lead under cementitious repository conditions. Report AEAT/ENV/0549, Jan 2002
S. Kulmala, M. Hakanen, The solubility of Zr, Nb and Ni in groundwater and concrete water, and sorption on crushed rock and cement. YJT report no. YJT-93-21, 1993
D.R. Lide, in Zirconium. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, vol. 4 (CRC Press, New York, 2007), p. 42
Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA-OECD), The JEFF-3.1 nuclear data library. JEFF report 21, OECD/NEA, Paris, France, 2006
J. Peterson, M. MacDonell, L. Haroun, F. Monette, R.D. Hildebrand, A. Taboas, Radiological and chemical fact sheets to support health risk analyses for contaminated areas. Argonne National Laboratory—Environmental Science Division in collaboration with U.S. Department of Energy, March 2007—http://www.ead.anl.gov/pub/doc/ANL_ContaminantFactSheets_All_070418.pdf
I. Pointeau, C. Landesman, N. Coreau, C. Moisan, P. Reiller, Etude de la rétention chimique des radionucléides Cs(I), Am(III), Zr(IV), Pu(IV), Nb(V), U(VI) et Tc(IV) par les matériaux cimentaires dégradés. CEA report 2004, RT DPC/SECR 03-037 indice A, 2004b
J. Tits, E. Wieland, M.H. Bradbury, J.-P. Dobler, The uptake of Eu(III) and Th(IV) by cement-type minerals in the alkaline disturbed zone of a nuclear waste repository, in Applied Mineralogy in Research, Economy, Technology, Ecology and Culture, ed. by D. Rammlmair, J. Mederer, T. Oberthür, R.B. Heimann, H. Pentinghaus (Rotterdam, Balkema, 2000)
P.C. Wailes, H. Weigold, Preparation of low oxidation state cyclopentadienyl complexes of titanium and zirconium. I. Compounds of zirconium. J. Organomet. Chem. 28(1), 91–95 (1971)
L Wang, E. Martens, D. Jacques, P. De Canniere, J. Berry, D. Mallants, Review of sorption values for the cementitious near field of a near surface radioactive waste disposal facility, NIROND-TR 2008-23E, April 2009
E. Wieland, L. Van Loon, Cementitious near-field sorption data base for performance assessment of an ILW repository in Opalinus Clay, PSI Bericht Nr. 03-06, 2002
E. Wieland, J. Tits, P. Spieler, J.-P. Dobler, Interaction of Eu(III) and Th(IV) with sulphate-resisting Portland cement, in Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, vol. 506 (1998), pp. 573–578
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ochs, M., Mallants, D., Wang, L. (2016). Sorption Values for Zirconium. In: Radionuclide and Metal Sorption on Cement and Concrete. Topics in Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality, vol 9999. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23651-3_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23651-3_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-23650-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-23651-3
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)