Experimental Validation of Retardation of Tritium Migration in the Chinese Loess Media

Retardation of tritium migration in the Chinese loess media was studied through column experiments by comparison of the migration velocity with other three “non-adsorptive” tracers of Br, Tc, and I. Results showed that the transport peak of Br was 1.25 times earlier than that of tritium when the tracers were simultaneously injected into the column, and the migration of Tc was even 1.60 times faster than H when the tracers were simultaneously injected. For iodine, it was only 1.02 times faster than that of tritium, but it should not be ignored. It reflected that the transport of H, compared to that of Br, Tc, or I in the loess media, was retarded. In order to validate the adsorption behavior of tritium on loess, batch tests were carried out using Chinese loess soil. The experimental results indicated that the adsorption of tritium was actual existence, and the distribution coefficient of tritium is influenced by initial activity of tritium, pH, water/solid ratio, and the content of humic and fulvic acids.