Review

  • Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology
  • Volume 23(2); 2025
  • Article

Technical Note

Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology 2025;23(2):281-295. Published online: Jun, 30, 2025

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DOI : doi.org/10.7733/jnfcwt.2025.019

Sorption of Eu(III) Onto MX-80 and Granite in Ca-Na-Cl Solutions

  • Jianan Liu1 , Shinya Nagasaki1,*, and Tianxiao (Tammy) Yang2

    1McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L7, Canada
    2Nuclear Waste Management Organization, 22 St. Clair Ave. East, 4
    th Floor, Toronto, ON, M4T 2S3, Canada
Abstract

The sorption of Europium(III) (Eu(III)) on MX-80 bentonite and granite was systematically studied as a function of ionic strength (0.05–1 mol·kgw−1) and pHm (4–9) in Ca-Na-Cl solutions by batch experiments and 2-site protolysis no electrostatics surface complexation and cation exchange (2SPNE/CE) model. Eu(III) has often been used as a chemical analogue of plutonium(III) which is an important element of interest for the safety assessment of a deep geological repository (DGR) for nuclear waste. It was found that the sorption of Eu(III) on MX-80 and granite was dependent on pHm. The sorption of Eu(III) on MX-80 was dependent on ionic strength at pHm ≤ 6. The effect of ionic strength on the sorption of Eu(III) on granite was negligible. The 2SPNE/CE model simulation suggested that the ion exchange reaction might be the main sorption mechanism at low pHm, while the surface complexation reactions might be the dominant sorption mechanism at higher pHm for the sorption of Eu(III) on both MX-80 and granite.

Keywords

Europium, Sorption, MX-80, Granite, 2SPNE/CE