Diffusion of Humic Acid in Clay

The impact of organic matter on the migration of actinides in argillaceous media is relevant for the risk assessment of future nuclear waste repositories. The diffusion of a 14C-labelled synthetic humic acid in compacted Georgia kaolinite and its influence on the uranium(VI) migration was studied.
The migration of humic acid in clay is governed by diffusion. The colloidal properties of humic acid result in a size exclusion from small pores. Thus the accessible pore space decreases and the tortuosity of the diffusion path increases compared to a conservative tracer. Furthermore, the compacted clay filters large humic colloids. Both effects restrict the diffusive flux of humic acid in the clay.
Diffusion experiments on the time scale of several weeks could not demonstrate a humic colloid-borne migration of uranium(VI) in the clay system. The competition of the humate and surface binding sites for uranium as well as the kinetics and reversibility of the complexation govern the actinide migration in this system.