Site-specific retention behavior of Te(IV) as a polonium surrogate in soils and nearshore sediment near a proposed lead–bismuth reactor site
摘要
Polonium released from lead–bismuth reactors may be retained mainly by nearby soils and nearshore sediments. Te(IV) was used as a non-radioactive surrogate and examined in two soils and a nearshore muddy sediment collected near a planned site. Batch tests tracked uptake to an operational equilibrium. A standardized sequential extraction partitioned sorbed Te among mobility-related pools, and XPS detected Te on reacted surfaces with shifts in C–O components. The muddy sediment showed the strongest retention and a greater shift toward the oxidizable-associated pool, indicating marked differences in operational retention strength and potential mobility among matrices.