Results of studies on the effects of organics on 99Tc mobility are reported. The effects of organics (EDTA, DTPA and citrate) on the sorption/migration of Tc is examined from two aspects, first by desorption techniques where reduced, sorbed Tc is exposed to organic ligands; and second, by exposure of synthetic Tc-organic complexes to soils. A calcareous, sandy, loam Hanford soil (pH approx. 8.2) was used. Very little desorption of the reduced Tc has occurred both in the 10 day study (95-87% remains sorbed for 10−6 to 10−8 M levels even at cit/Tc - 10,000= and even less desorption is observed in the extended 45 day study (95-90% remains sorbed for 10−6 to 10−9 M levels). Similar results were also observed when a stronger chelating agent such as EDTA was used. Approximately 95% of the reduced Tc remains sorbed for the 10−5 to 10−6 M levels and approx. 70 remains sorbed at 10−7 M.

Studies described in this report were aimed at establishing the magnitude and mechanisms of /sup 99/Tc sorption by soils and uptake by plants. Results show that /sup 99/Tc was sorbed from solution over a period to two to five weeks by 8 of 11 soils studies. The slow rate of sorption, the lack of sorption by low organic matter soils, the elimination of sorption following sterilization and increased sorption following addition of dextrose all point to a microbial role in the sorption process. However, it has not been established whether this is a direct or indirect role nor is it possible to clearly predict the conditions under which sorption will occur. Results of plant uptake studies show that /sup 99/Tc can be taken up and translocated into the photosynthetic tissue of higher plants with concentrations in seeds being much less than in vegetative tissue. Technetium-99 was also shown to be toxic to plants at low concentrations and evidence suggests that this is a chemically rather than radiologically induced toxicity. However, this remains to be completely resolved as well as whether there is a threshold level of /sup 99/Tc required before toxicity occurs. Studies of short-term, dynamic, aerobic systems indicated that /sup 99/Tc moves through the soil as a relatively large anion exhibiting characteristic miscible displacement with some asymmetric tailing. /sup 99/Tc exhibits greater retention that C1/sup -/, which may be attributed statistically to weak complexion by organic matter. It is unlikely that this retention phenomenon is related to the static sorption activity reported in the first part of this study.