Interaction of uranium (VI) with cellulose degradation products

Cellulosic material is present in low and intermediate level wastes in considerable amounts. In the case of ground water ingressing into cementitious backfill material a hyperalkaline environment will be established. Since cellulose will be relatively fast degraded under alkaline conditions, there is a high risk that small organic, water soluble molecules will be formed. These molecules can act as complexing agents for radionuclides and thereby affecting their sorption behavior and solubility adversely. Therefore the focus of current investigations is on the interaction of uranium (VI) with Isosaccharinic acid as main degradation product as well as with acetate. The progress and results of these investigations as part of the MIND project (work package 1) will be presented.