Sorption of radionuclides on the container wall during batch migration studies

The sorption of radionuclides on the wall of polypropylene centrifuge tubes used for the batch migration study has been investigated. The parameters v aried were solution acidity, contact time, presence and physicochemical pro perties of geomedia. The radionuclides were Sc-46, Co-60, Se-75, Sr-85, Cs- 134 and Am-241, which were all gamma-ray emitters. It has been found that t he sorption of radionuclides on the tube wall increased somewhat with incre asing solution pH and the contact period in the control experiment, but dec reased with increasing the cation exchange capacity of geologic materials i n the batch experiment. Effects of sorption on tube wall in the migration s tudy is negligible in most but not all situations and should be corrected, not by the control experiment but by the batch experiment.