The role of colloidal kaolinite in the transport of cesium through laboratory sand columns

Recent laboratory and field studies indicate that colloids are capable of adsorbing and enhancing the transport of a variety of contaminants in groundwater. We examined the influence of kaolinite particles on Cs-137 movement through sand columns. The times for transport of the main part of the Cs-137 pulse decreased by over a factor of 2 as the concentration of kaolinite in the column influent increased from 0 to 200 mg/L. Very early breakthrough of a relatively small amount of Cs-137 was observed and attributed to the existence of sorption sites on the kaolinite that were kinetically controlled. This early breakthrough was essentially unretarded, whereas the initial breakthrough in the absence of kaolinite showed a retardation of about 15 pore volumes. Comparison of experimental observations with calculations from a transport model demonstrates that kaolinite deposition onto the sand was described best by an irreversible, first-order kinetics process and that retention of Cs-137 by these clay particles was described by linear equations for two-site solute adsorption. Uptake of Cs-137 by the Sand was represented by the Langmuir version of the two-site equations. This work indicates the need to account for facilitated transport of contaminants by inorganic colloids and provides a basis for quantifying the phenomenon.