During the history of the Hanford Site, plutonium production for the U.S. nuclear weapon program resulted in discharges of transuranic liquid waste to the vadose zone. Soil samples collected from 15 to 20 m vertical depth below ground surface were examined using high spatial resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS). NanoSIMS analysis provides elemental as well as isotopic ratio information at the nano-scale. These measurements detected plutonium co-located with silicate minerals. Complementary analyses using energy dispersive X-ray analysis and X-ray diffraction were used to determine the mineral phases.Prepared by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Investigating the transport of plutonium in vadose zone sediments at the Hanford Site using NANOSIMS

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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