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http://www.radiochimacta.deInternational audienceThe U(VI) uptake in degraded cement pastes was undertaken in the laboratories of CEA/L3MR and SUBATECH in order to check the reproducibility of the study. Two well hydrated cement pastes, CEM I (Ordinary Portland Cement, OPC) and CEM V (blast furnace slag (BFS) and fly ash added to OPC) were degraded using similar protocols. Equilibrium solutions and solid materials were characterised for three degradation states for each paste. All samples are free of portlandite and the pH of the equilibrated cement solutions vary in the range 9.8–12.2. Three calcium silicate hydrate phases (C-S-H) were synthesised in order to compare the sorption properties of degraded cement pastes and of hydrate phases in similar pH conditions. In order to avoid precipitation processes, the operational solubility limit was evaluated before batch experiments. These solubility values vary significantly in the pH range [9–13] with a 2.4×10−7 mol/L minimum at pH close to 10.5. In batch sorption experiments, the distribution ratio Rd values are high: 30000–150000 mL/g. The uptake of U(VI) increases when comparing the least and the most degraded cement pastes whereas the initial composition of cement has relatively insensitive effect. Sorption isotherms, expressed as a log [U(VI)solid]/ log [U(VI)solution] plots are linear. A slope of 1 is calculated indicating the predominance of sorption processes. As sorption and desorption values are close, the uptake mechanism seems reversible. The Rd values measured in C-S-H suspensions are in good agreement with Rd values of degraded cement pastes, and C-S-H materials could be one of the cementitious phases which control U(VI) uptake in cement pastes

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International audienceAs a first step in developing better molecular scale understanding of the effects of organic additives on the adsorption and mobility of radionuclides in cement under conditions of geological nuclear waste repositories, two complementary approaches, wet chemistry experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulations, were applied to study the sorption behaviour of two simple model systems: gluconate and uranyl on calcium silicate hydrate phases (C-S-H) – the principal mineral component of hardened cement paste (HCP). Experimental data on sorption and desorption kinetics and isotherms of adsorption for gluconate/C-S-H and U(VI)/C-S-H binary systems were collected and quantitatively analysed for C-S-H samples synthesised with various Ca/Si ratios (0.83, 1.0, 1.4) corresponding to various stages of HCP aging and degradation. Gluconate labelled with 14C isotope was used in order to improve the sensitivity of analytical detection technique (LSC) at particularly low concentrations (10-8 - 10-5 mol/L). There is a noticeable effect of Ca/Si ratio on the gluconate sorption on C-S-H, with stronger sorption at higher Ca/Si ratios. Sorption of organic anions on C-S-H is mediated by the presence of Ca2+ at the interface and strongly depends on the surface charge and Ca2+ concentration. In parallel, classical MD simulations of the same model systems were performed in order to identify specific surface sorption sites most actively involved in the sorption of gluconate and uranyl on C-S-H and to clarify molecular mechanisms of adsorption

We have investigated the composition of the mobile natural organic matter (NOM) present in Callovo-Oxfodian pore water using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI-MS) and emission-excitation matrix (EEM) spectroscopy. The generation of knowledge of the composition, structure and size of mobile NOM is necessary if one wants to understand the interactions of these compounds with heavy metals/radionuclides, in the context of environmental studies, and particularly how the mobility of these trace elements is affected by mobile NOM. The proposed methodology is very sensitive in unambiguously identifying the in situ composition of dissolved NOM in water even at very low NOM concentration, due to innovative non-disturbing water sampling and ionization (ESI/APCI-MS) techniques. It was possible to analyze a quite exhaustive inventory of the small organic compounds of clay pore water without proceeding to any chemical treatment at naturally occurring concentration levels. The structural features observed were mainly acidic compounds and fatty acids as well as aldehydes and amino acids.