The redox behaviour of plutonium in humic rich groundwater

Summary Experiments with different oxidation states of Pu in GoHy-532 groundwater under reducing conditions reveal that Pu(VI) and Pu(V) are reduced rapidly to Pu(IV) at pH 7. The half-life of the redox reactions Pu(VI)/(V) and Pu(V)/(IV) are in the range of minutes. The rates of both reduction reactions decrease with decreasing pH values. A portion of the Pu(IV) is not stable in the same groundwater and is reduced slowly to Pu(III) in the range of weeks. Ultrafiltration experiments show Pu to be totally bound to the humic substances in the groundwater. At Pu concentrations of 10-5to 10-4M, most of the Pu occurs as a Pu-colloid and/or Pu-colloid bound to humic substances (Pu-colloid-HS) in solution, which is indicated by EXAFS/XANES and XPS measurements.