Intercomparison and Refinement of Surface Complexation Models for U(VI) Adsorption onto Goethite Based on a Metadata Analysis

Adsorption of uranium onto goethite is an important partitioning process that controls uranium mobility in subsurface environments, for which many different surface complexation models (SCMs) have been developed. While individual models can fit the data for which they are parameterized, many perform poorly when compared with experimental data covering a broader range of conditions. There is an imperative need to quantitatively evaluate the variations in the models and to develop a more robust model that can be used with more confidence across the wide range of conditions. We conducted an intercomparison and refinement of the SCMs based on a metadata analysis. By seeking the globally best fit to a composite dataset with wide ranges of pH, solid/sorbate ratios, and carbonate concentrations, we developed a series of models with different levels of complexity following a systematic roadmap. The goethite-uranyl-carbonate ternary surface complexes were required in every model. For the spectroscopically informed models, a triple-plane model was found to provide the best fit, but the performance of the double-layer model with bidentate goethite-uranyl and goethite-uranyl-carbonate complexes was also comparable. Nevertheless, the models that ignore the bidentate feature of uranyl surface complexation consistently performed poorly. The goodness of fitting for the models that ignore adsorption of carbonate and the charge distributions was not significantly compromised compared with that of their counterparts that considered those. This approach of model development for a large and varied dataset improved our understanding of U(VI)-goethite surface reactions and can lead to a path for generating a single set of reactions and equilibrium constants for including U(VI) adsorption onto goethite in reactive transport models.

Automated summary

The study compared different SCMs models and found that there were differences in performance when covering a broader range of conditions with experimental data, highlighting the need to develop a more reliable model. Through a systematic roadmap, it was found that the goethite-uranyl-carbonate ternary surface complexes were crucial in every model. The advanced triple-plane model provided the best fit.