Desorption of intrinsic cesium from smectite: inhibitive effects of clay particle organization on cesium desorption.

Fine clay particles have functioned as transport media for radiocesium in terrestrial environments after nuclear accidents. Because radiocesium is expected to be retained in clay minerals by a cation-exchange reaction, ascertaining trace cesium desorption behavior in response to changing solution conditions is crucially important. This study systematically investigated the desorption behavior of intrinsic Cs (13 nmol/g) in well-characterized Na-montmorillonite in electrolyte solutions (NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, and MgCl2) under widely differing cation concentrations (0.

Deposition records in lake sediments in western Japan of radioactive Cs from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident.

Sediment trap observations of lakes in western Japan before and after Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident indicate that changes in the radioactive Cs discharge are influenced by fluctuations in precipitation and geomorphological conditions in each catchment. Contributions of FDNPP-derived (134,137)Cs to the sediment decreased from 19-48% to 10-15% within a few months, implying that the major transport processes of FDNPP-derived (134,137)Cs have changed from direct fallout to transport by soil particles.