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2026 Vol.31, Issue 5

Review Paper

Radionuclide Distribution Coefficients (Kd) in Korean Crystalline Rock Environments: Characteristics and Selection of Values for Transport Modeling

국내 결정질암 지질환경에서 방사성 핵종 분배계수(Kd)의 특성과 이동 모델링 적용값 선정

Hyun-Kwon Do1
,
Hyoun-Tae Hwang23
,
In-Ho Yoon4
,
Sung-Wook Jeen15*
도 현권1
,
황 현태23
,
윤 인호4
,
진 성욱15*
1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences & The Earth and Environmental Science System Research Center, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, South Korea
2Aquanty Inc., A Rocscience company, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
3Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
4uclear Facility Cleanup Technology Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon, South Korea
5Department of Climate, Environment and Energy, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, South Korea
1전북대학교 지구환경과학과 및 지구환경시스템연구소
2Aquanty Inc., A Rocscience company
3Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo
4한국원자력연구원 원자력시설청정기술개발부
5전북대학교 기후환경에너지융합학과
*Corresponding Author
31 October 2026. pp. 1-17
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Abstract

The operation and decommissioning of nuclear facilities, together with the storage and disposal of radioactive waste, require a reliable assessment of radionuclide behavior and transport in subsurface environments. In groundwater flow and radionuclide transport models, the distribution coefficient, Kd, is widely used to represent sorption and retardation; however, Kd is not an intrinsic constant and can vary substantially with geological media, hydrogeochemical conditions, specimen characteristics, and experimental methods. This study reviewed Kd data for 90Sr, 137Cs, and 60Co and evaluated their applicability to crystalline-rock environments in Korea. Geological media were classified into soil, weathered/altered rock, and fresh rock, and the compiled data were evaluated with respect to geological relevance, mineralogical and hydrogeochemical conditions, specimen form, and experimental scale. Direct Korean data were prioritized, whereas analogue-media data were used where direct crystalline-rock data were limited. The review showed that 90Sr sorption is primarily controlled by cation exchange and competition with Ca2+ and Mg2+, whereas 137Cs is strongly influenced by selective sorption sites and competing ions such as K+ and NH4+. For 60Co, pH and the development of Fe/Mn oxide and hydroxide reactive surfaces were dominant controls. The experimental scale also affected the interpretation of Kd, particularly where batch-derived values differed from transport-effective values obtained under column or fractured-core flow conditions. The recommended reference Kd values for soil, weathered/altered rock, and fresh rock were 0.0860, 0.0303, and 0.0200 m3/kg for 90Sr; 7.754, 0.0033, and 0.010 m3/kg for 137Cs; and 6.128, 0.221, and 0.067 m3/kg for 60Co, respectively. The proposed values and application ranges provide literature-based reference inputs for radionuclide transport modeling in Korean crystalline rock environments, including assessments for nuclear facility decommissioning and radioactive waste management, while site-specific measurements should be prioritized when available.

Keywords
Crystalline rock
Distribution coefficient
Radionuclide
Sorption
Transport modeling
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국지하수토양환경학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
  • Journal Title(Ko) :지하수토양환경
  • Volume : 31
  • No :5
  • Pages :1-17
  • Received Date : 2026-09-29
  • Revised Date : 2026-10-21
  • Accepted Date : 2026-10-24
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7857/JSGE.2026.31.5.001
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