Modeling the rates of lead and strontium uptake by zeolitized tuff from Rainier Mesa, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

The fate and transport of contaminants released during nuclear testing at the NTS are partly controlled by interactions of their aqueous species with mineral surfaces. It has been shown that retardation of contaminants in the subsurface may be controlled by intraparticle mass transfer rather than equilibrium partitioning. For this reason, the rate of lead (Pb) and Strontium (Sr) uptake by zeolitized tuff from Rainier Mesa, NTS, was studied as a function of pH, ionic strength, and metal concentration; To test the hypothesis that sorption of Pb occurs through surface precipitation and Sr sorbs through diffusion, the data were modeled by a first order model and a diffusion model. The sorption of Pb(II), displaying rapid uptake by the zeolitized tuff, is described well by the first order model but the diffusion model cannot reproduce the fast initial uptake which is consistent with precipitation. Sorption of Sr(II) is consistent with diffusion and subsequent cation exchange.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Geoscience

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Year

1999

Author dc:creator

• Bernot, Patricia Ann

Contributors dc:contributor

• Charalambos Papelis

Statement dc:rights

• IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/rtds/994

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:oasis.library.unlv.edu:rtds-1993