Micro-focused synchrotron radiation techniques to investigate actinide
elements in geological samples are becoming an increasingly used tool in
nuclear waste disposal research. In this article, results using
μ-focus techniques are presented from a bore core section of a U-rich
tertiary sediment collected from Ruprechtov, Czech Republic, a natural
analog to nuclear waste repository scenarios in deep geological
formations. Different methods are applied to obtain various, complementary
information. Elemental and element chemical state distributions are
obtained from μ-XRF measurements, oxidation states of As determined
from μ-XANES, and the crystalline structure of selected regions are
studied by means of μ-XRD. We find that preparation of the thin
section created an As oxidation state artifact; it apparently changed the
As valence in some regions of the sample. Results support our previously
proposed hypothesis of the mechanism for U-enrichment in the sediment.
AsFeS coating on framboid Fe nodules in the sediment reduced mobile
groundwater-dissolved U(VI) to less-soluble U(IV), thereby immobilizing
the uranium in the sediment.