Effect of DTPA on adsorption of Eu(III) onto quartz sand as a function of pH

Organic ligands are known to affect radionuclide adsorption onto mineral surfaces. Quantitative description of these ternary systems requires appropriate modelling of the constituent interaction processes, which are not yet fully understood. In this study, the effect of the decontamination agent DTPA on adsorption of Eu(III) (as an analogue of trivalent actinides) onto quartz sand was investigated in radiotracer studies with 152Eu, at a pH range from 3 to 9. The experimental results show that DTPA strongly reduces adsorption of Eu(III) and thus promotes its mobility by formation of aqueous Eu-DTPA complexes over the whole studied pH range. This behavior was successfully described by generalized two-layer surface complexation model based on the aqueous speciation of Eu(III) / DTPA as a function of pH.