A Study on Behaviors of the Uranium Dissolution from Uranium-Contaminated Soil during an Acid Wash Process

Jun-Young Jung¹, Byung-Moon Jun², Maengkyo Oh¹, Tack-Jin Kim¹, Hee-Chul Eun^1,*

¹Radwaste Management Center, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 111 Daedeok-daero 989beon-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34057, Republic of Korea
²Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, 1732 Deogyeong-dearo, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 17104, Republic of Korea

Received 2025-02-06 ; Revised 2025-03-11 ; Approved 2025-03-18

Abstract

Uranium-contaminated soil can be cleaned using an acid washing process. However, high-concentration acid washing generates substantial amounts of radioactive waste, making it essential to develop a treatment process using low-concentration acid. This study evaluated the effectiveness of low-concentration sulfuric acid washing for uranium removal from contaminated soil. Experiments were conducted with a 0.05M sulfuric acid solution. With a mixing ratio of soil to acid solution at 1:5, three consecutive washes were sufficient to remove uranium from contaminated soil to clearance level. During the acid washing process, real-time pH monitoring was performed to analyze the correlation between uranium leaching and pH changes. This led to the establishment of a monitoring-based process control strategy. In conclusion, we identified an effective method for removing uranium from soil under low acid concentration conditions. Consequently, significant reductions in radioactive waste generation are anticipated.

Key Words : Uranium-contaminated Soil, Low-concentration acid washing, Removal, Clearance, pH monitoring