Adsorption of Ru, Ce and Eu radionuclides within naturally precipitated polycrystalline calcium carbonate under acidic environment

106Ru, 144Ce and 152+154Eu radiotracers sorption experiments (pH: 1–6) have been carried out with polycrystalline columnar/microcrystalline calcite and aragonite obtained from a stalagmite of Dharamjali cave, India. The different domains of the sample were powdered and thoroughly studied using electron microscopic and X-ray spectroscopic techniques. Both 106Ru and 144Ce exhibited higher sorption within calcite varieties compared to aragonite and increased with rising pH, while it showed reverse relation in case of 152+154Eu. Further, it is noted that aragonite offers the highest K d values for 152+154Eu, whereas 106Ru and 144Ce prefer calcite.