Mixed Complex Formation of Eu3+ with Humic Acid and a Competing Ligand

Colloid Formation During the Interaction of HLW Glass with Interstitial Clay Water

During the reaction of HLW glass with interstitial clay water at different temperatures with various ratios of glass surface area to solution volume (SA/V) and durations, Eu released from the glass forms predominantly Eu-humate colloids (organic colloids) by a complexation reaction. The size distribution and stability of Eu-humate colloids have been characterized. It is likely that inorganic colloids which are mainly composed of Si, Al and Ca are generated from the corrosion of waste glass by a nucleation reaction.

Influence of humic acid on the Am(III) sorption onto kaolinite

The sorption of americium(III), (Am(III)), onto kaolinite was studied in batch experiments in the absence and presence of humic acid (HA) ([Am(III)]0=1×10−6ߙM, [HA]0=0 or 10ߙmg/L, I=0.01ߙM NaClO4, pH=3–10, p CO2=10−3.5ߙatm, solid-to-liquid ratio (S/L)=1 or 4ߙg/L). The results show that the Am(III) sorption onto kaolinite is influenced by S/L, the presence of HA and the pH value. In the absence of HA, Am(III) exhibits a very strong and almost pH independent sorption onto kaolinite at the S/L ratio of 4ߙg/L. In the presence of HA, there are small differences in the Am(III) sorption compared to the HA free system. At pH values 5, HA very slightly enhances the sorption of Am(III). Conversely, at pH values ≥5.5, the presence of HA decreases the sorption of Am(III) due to the formation of dissolved Am(III) humate complexes. The decrease of S/L from 4 to 1ߙg/L has a significant effect on the Am(III) sorption onto kaolinite. A sorption edge occurs at pH 6 and the influence of carbonate on the Am(III) sorption at higher pH values becomes evident. Furthermore, the influence of HA on the Am(III) sorption onto kaolinite is more pronounced. The Am(III) sorption results are compared to literature data and to those of U(VI) sorption onto kaolinite obtained under the same experimental conditions.

Influence of Boom Clay organic matter on the adsorption of Eu3+ by illite – geochemical modelling using the component additivity approach

The solid–liquid distribution of europium (Eu) between an adsorptive surface and a solution phase containing a competitive colloid is the result of a delicate balance between several individual chemical reactions. In this study, adsorption isotherms of Eu in presence of dissolved Boom Clay natural organic matter were experimentally determined under conditions relevant for a geological repository (trace Eu concentrations, anoxic conditions, ∼0.014 mol l−1 NaHCO3 background electrolyte). It was found that both the concentration and size distribution (or operational cut-off used to discriminate between “mobile” and “immobile” colloids) of natural organic matter has a strong influence on the observed solid–liquid distribution.

The experimental data were subsequently modelled using a component additive approach with two well-established sorption/interaction models: the 2 SPNE SC/CE model for describing Eu adsorption on illite, and Humic Ion-Binding Model VI for describing Eu complexation to natural organic matter. Model parameters were gathered from dedicated measurements in batch systems containing only Eu and the interacting phase under study, under similar conditions as in the ternary isotherm experiments. Mutual interactions between illite and natural organic matter were studied and quantified. Under the experimental conditions of this study, it was found that these interactions were only of minor importance.

The two models were subsequently combined to blind predict the Eu solid–liquid distribution in the ternary batch experiments. Within an error margin of 0.5logߙK d units, the additivity approach succeeded well in predicting Eu uptake in all experimental systems studied. A sensitivity analysis was performed to select the most important model parameters influencing the Eu uptake, and the robustness of the model. This study has shown that the component additivity approach for describing and predicting uptake of trivalent lanthanides/actinides under Boom Clay conditions, is promising, and may help in unraveling the complex behaviour of these radionuclides witnessed in migration experiments.

TRLIFS study of Eu(III) spectroscopic properties to obtain structural and thermodynamic informations on lanthanide-malonamide complexes in the Eu(III)/NaNO3/TetraEthylMalonAmide system

Improvement of the nuclear fuel reprocessing involves separating the minor actinides (Am(III) and Cm(III)) from the fission products. In the French strategy, the first step consists in the separation of the trivalent actinides and lanthanides from high-level liquid waste, for which malonamides RR´NCO(CHR´´)CONRR´ are promising ligands. These molecules have been optimized for reprocessing but still require basic chemical studies to describe the complexation mechanisms at a molecular scale. This paper discusses a thermodynamic and structural study of a Ln(III)-malonamide complex formed with the hydrosoluble tetraethylmalonamide ligand (TEMA=(C2H5)2NCOCH2CON(C2H5)2) dissolved in a nitrate medium. Despite the simplified chemical system obtained with TEMA, its weak chemical affinity and its physical properties pushed the analytical techniques to their limits. The sensitivity of Time-Resolved Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy (TRLIFS) combined with the major luminescent spectroscopic properties of Eu(III) (hypersensitive band and fluorescence lifetime) were successfully used to determine the equilibrium constant and hydration number in the Eu(III), TEMA, and NO3-system. Fluorescence lifetimes, connected with the first coordination sphere of the solvated metal, clearly show the inner-sphere location of nitrate in the Eu(NO3)2+complex, the outer-sphere location of TEMA in the Eu(TEMA)3+complex, and the outer-sphere location of both ligands in the Eu(NO3)(TEMA)2+complex.

The influence of natural organic matter on the speciation and solubility of Eu in Boom Clay porewater

The influence of natural organic matter (NOM) on the speciation and solubility of europium (Eu) was studied under geochemical conditions representative for the Boom Clay. Different organic matter types were used, and analysis was performed both after 0.45 μm microfiltration and after 30000 MWCO ultrafiltration to distinguish between larger colloids (assumed to be immobile underin situconditions) and small dissolved species.

Equilibrium was approached from undersaturation starting from synthesised Eu(OH)3(s), which, during the experiment, transformed into EuOHCO3(s), in agreement with thermodynamic considerations. In the absence of NOM, the Eu solution concentrations after 0.45 μm filtration exceeded the thermodynamic solubility of EuOHCO3(s) by several orders of magnitude, indicating the presence of inorganic Eu colloids. In the presence of NOM, the Eu solubility increased with increasing NOM concentration as was expected, but, surprisingly, was dependent on the operational size cut-off: at an identical NOM concentration in the filtrate, the Eu solution concentration after 0.45 μm filtration was consistently higher compared to the Eu concentration after 30000 MWCO filtration. This latter observation necessitates detailed knowledge concerning the pore size cut-off of Boom Clay underin situconditions in order to use the correct Eu-NOM complexation constant and/or maximum solubility in transport calculations. At higher NOM concentrations (TOC>30 mg/L) the Eu solubility after 0.45 μm filtration was seemingly independent of the NOM concentration.

In contrast, after 30000 MWCO ultrafiltration, the Eu solution increased linearly with increasing DOC, from the expected thermodynamic solubility (∼5×10−7 mol L−1) at 0 mg L−1DOC to ∼3×10−5 mol L−1at 80 mg L−1DOC. All of the data sets were modelled using the Nagra/PSI database [8] for solubility, hydrolysis and inorganic aqueous complexation reactions, and fitted organic complexation reactions between Eu3+and NOM functional groups. Both a free ligand approach (with electrostatic correction) and the humic ion-binding model VI [23], which was for the first time successfully introduced into Phreeqc geochemical code, were tested and provided equally good fits to the data.

A study on the metal binding of humic acid by multitracer technique

A method combining radioactive ‘multitracer’ and dialysis techniques was developed to study the binding of multiple metal ions to humic acid (HA). Technical problems such as the leakage of small-molecule HA segment and the slow diffusion of metal ions through the dialysis membranes were examined. Under the condition of pH = 4.0,I= 0.100 M NaNO3, [MgII] = 0 M, or [MgII] = 0.500×10-3M, the interactions between Inogashira humic acid and metal ions (BeII, ScIII, ZnII, CoII, MnIIand SrII) were investigated by varying the metal concentrations in a wide range. It was found that as the concentrations of the trace metals are significantly smaller than that of HA, there are abundant binding sites available and there are no competition interactions between the trace metal ions of interest. Therefore, the stability constants for multiple metal ions binding onto humic substances can be obtained readily using the present method. The method is useful for quickly determining trace metal binding onto humic substances in environmental chemistry.

Interaction of europium with humic acid covalently bound to silica beads

The uptake of Eu3+(a trivalent actinide homolog) by Aldrich humic acid covalently bonded to an inorganic support is examined. Two types of covalent linkages are used and the synthetic routes to produce the resins are discussed. The use of these resins excludes having to account for humic acid desorption from the surface, yields a well characterized system, and allows the experiment to focus on and account for the role of humic acid in the sorption of Eu. The proton exchange capacity of the resins is examined by titration and the differences observed are traced to the resin synthesis. Europium sorption experiments are performed at pH 4 and pH 6 in 0.1 M NaClO4. Kinetic experiments show equilibrium is reached in 24 hours. The kinetic data are used to evaluate the loading capacity, with results similar to equilibrium experiments. The complexation results are evaluated based on the metal ion charge neutralization model. For the resins an effect of pH and resin synthesis route on the Eu uptake is observed. The uptake increases with pH for both resins. The resin HA-Epo (Epoxy linkage) has a higher metal binding at pH 4, while the resin HA-HAB (2-hydroxylazobenzene linkage) had more proton exchange sites occupied by metal ions at pH 6. Overall, more Eu is bound to HA-Epo at pH 6 since its proton exchange capacity is higher. The evaluated stability constants vary slightly and show a dependence on the linkage group but are similar to literature values that examined complexation by aquatic humic acid analyzed with the same model. This result supports the utility of the metal ion charge neutralization model and the applicability of the resulting stability constants.

Radiotracer study of the electrophoretic behavior of Eu and its complexes with humic acid

The interaction of Eu with purified/protonized Aldrich humic acid (HA) was studied by the free liquid/moving boundary electrophoresis used in combination with the radiotracer method. Introductory experiments were carried out to test electrophoretic behavior of Eu in HA-free solutions, and to determine mobility of Eu3+cation. To get the data for evaluation of parameters describing Eu binding to HA, titrations of HA (10 mg/L) with Eu were performed batchwise in the range 3.4×10-8-1.7-3M of Eu total concentration at pH 3, 4, 5 and 6, and 0.01 M ionic strength (NaClO4). In each batch, the degree of Eu complexation with HA was determined from152Eu electrophoretic mobilities in the cathodic direction. The experimental data were fitted with a discrete site model (Scatchard plot-like model) with two types of carboxylic sites. An additional information on the charge characteristics of the Eu-HA complexes has been obtained from the152Eu anodic mobilities.

The formation of mixed-hydroxo complexes of Cm(III) and Am(III) with humic acid in the neutral pH range

The complexation of humic acid with Cm(III) and Am(III) is studied in the neutral pH range from 6 to 10 in 0.1 M NaClO4under Ar-atmosphere. Cm(III) and Am(III) species are characterized and quantified by time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) and UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, respectively. The formation of ternary humate complexes, i.e. hydroxo-humate species, is ascertained besides the well known binary complex AnHA(III) (An = Cm(III), Am(III)) by spectroscopic speciation in aid of radiometric quantification. The pH dependent change in concentrations of individual Cm(III) and Am(III) species corroborates ternary humate complex formation: An(OH)HA(II) and An(OH)2HA(I), with stability constants evaluated to be log β111= 12.82 ± 0.11 and log β121= 17.53 ± 0.13 for Cm(III) and log β111= 12.71 ± 0.17 and log β121= 17.40 ± 0.21 for Am(III). The formation of ternary humate complexes culminates in the strong interaction of trivalent actinide ions with humic acid in the neutral pH range as compared to the binary complexation alone. The results are compared with a previous study on the Cm(III) interaction with humic colloids in a real groundwater system.