The Long-Term Stability of Becquerelite

Uranium-series disequilibria data, in conjunction with petrographic analyses, indicate that the uranyl oxide hydrate becquerelite can persist for hundreds of thousands of years, possibly longer. Becquerelite probably forms continuously as ground water compositions permit and is resistant to U leaching by ground water. On the time scale of interest for the geologic disposal of spent UO2 nuclear fuel, becquerelite is a long-lived sink for uranium in oxidizing, U and Ca-bearing ground waters. Such long-term stability also supports recent solubility experiments that indicate natural becquerelite has a lower solubility product than that determined for synthetic becquerelites.