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Science 27 October 2006:
Vol. 314. no. 5799, pp. 638 - 641
DOI: 10.1126/science.1131307
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Reports

Colloid Transport of Plutonium in the Far-Field of the Mayak Production Association, Russia

Alexander P. Novikov,1 Stepan N. Kalmykov,1,2 Satoshi Utsunomiya,3 Rodney C. Ewing,3* François Horreard,4 Alex Merkulov,4 Sue B. Clark,5 Vladimir V. Tkachev,1 Boris F. Myasoedov1

Sorption of actinides, particularly plutonium, onto submicrometer-sized colloids increases their mobility, but these plutonium colloids are difficult to detect in the far-field. We identified actinides on colloids in the groundwater from the Mayak Production Association, Urals, Russia; at the source, the plutonium activity is ~1000 becquerels per liter. Plutonium activities are still 0.16 becquerels per liter at a distance of 3 kilometers, where 70 to 90 mole percent of the plutonium is sorbed onto colloids, confirming that colloids are responsible for the long-distance transport of plutonium. Nano–secondary ion mass spectrometry elemental maps reveal that amorphous iron oxide colloids adsorb Pu(IV) hydroxides or carbonates along with uranium carbonates.

1 Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia.
2 Radiochemistry Division, Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119992, Russia.
3 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109–1005, USA.
4 Cameca, 92622 Gennevilliers Cedex, 92403, France.
5 Department of Chemistry and Nuclear Radiation Center, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164–4630, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: rodewing{at}umich.edu

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