ALBERT

Description:    The simplest and the most efficient method for decontamination of sandy soils is separation of the finely dispersed fraction (〈0.1 mm), with which ∼90% of the contaminating radionuclides are associated, by gravity sedimentation in water. However, for sandy soils from the Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, the decontamination factor in this case is as low as 4–5. The decontamination factor can be further increased by using reagent treatment. The main parameters of the process are reagent composition and concentration, temperature, and liquid to solid ratio. The decontamination factor of 10–14 can be attained by reagent treatment with 2 M H 2 SO 4 + 1 M H 3 PO 4 or 3–4 M H 2 SO 4 solutions for 7 h at 80°C, at the liquid to solid ratio of no less than 2 : 1. Two times higher decontamination factor can be attained by treatment with a 2 M H 2 SO 4 + 0.6 M NH 4 F solution, but high toxicity of fluorides restricts the possibility of using this reagent. Content Type Journal Article Pages 437-442 DOI 10.1134/S1066362211040187 Authors S. A. Dmitriev, Joint Environmental, Engineering, and Research Center for Radioactive Waste Management and Environment Protection (Radon Moscow Research and Production Association, Federal Unitary Enterprise), 7-i Rostovskii per. 2/14, Moscow, 119121 Russia A. S. Barinov, Joint Environmental, Engineering, and Research Center for Radioactive Waste Management and Environment Protection (Radon Moscow Research and Production Association, Federal Unitary Enterprise), 7-i Rostovskii per. 2/14, Moscow, 119121 Russia V. M. Kuptsov, Joint Environmental, Engineering, and Research Center for Radioactive Waste Management and Environment Protection (Radon Moscow Research and Production Association, Federal Unitary Enterprise), 7-i Rostovskii per. 2/14, Moscow, 119121 Russia Journal Radiochemistry Online ISSN 1608-3288 Print ISSN 1066-3622 Journal Volume Volume 53 Journal Issue Volume 53, Number 4