Estimating the distribution of radionuclides in agricultural soils – Dependence on soil parameters

• We present a geochemical model for radionuclide distribution in agricultural soils.
• The model has been validated by using experimental studies from the literature.
• The model works well for Cs, Ni, U and Se.
• The dependencies of nuclide distribution on soil parameters have been evaluated.

In this study it is shown how radionuclide distributions in agricultural soils and their dependence on soil parameters can be quantitatively estimated. The most important sorption and speciation processes have been implemented into a numerical model using the geochemical code PHREEQC that is able to include specific soil and soil solution compositions. Using this model, distribution coefficients (Kd values) for the elements Cs, Ni, U and Se have been calculated for two different soil types. Furthermore, the dependencies of these Kd values on various soil parameters (e.g. pH value or organic matter content) have been evaluated. It is shown that for each element, an individual set of soil parameters is relevant for its solid–liquid distribution. The model may be used for the calculation of input parameters used by reference biosphere models (e.g. used for the risk assessment of nuclear waste repositories).