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Current technologies for the remediation of difficult-to-measure radionuclides at nuclear sites - 22224

Current technologies for the remediation of difficult-to-measure radionuclides at nuclear sites - 22224
Current technologies for the remediation of difficult-to-measure radionuclides at nuclear sites - 22224
Difficult-to-measure radionuclides (DTMRs), defined by an absence of high-energy gamma emissions during decay, are problematic at nuclear sites. They are common contaminants at many facilities, including Hanford (WA, USA) and Sellafield (Cumbria, UK), that often have long half-lives and can potentially result in adverse health effects in humans, e.g. thyroid cancer from I-129 exposure. Effective remediation is therefore essential if nuclear site end-state targets for return to safe use are to be met. However, due to a lack of techniques for their in-situ detection, technologies designed to remediate these DTMRs are chronically underdeveloped and tend to be labour intensive and environmentally invasive (e.g. excavation), which can lead to further complications including elevated worker exposure doses during decommissioning. This, plus an emerging emphasis on sustainable remediation (e.g. ISO 18504, ASTM-E2876), means there is a renewed focus on less invasive technologies for radionuclide clean-up, and specifically for DTMRs.
In this paper, we outline current technologies (Figure 1) for the remediation of DTMRs I-129, Tc-99, Sr-90 and H-3. These radionuclides have been selected based on their < 100 keV gamma emissions during decay, in combination with their high mobilities in groundwaters and prevalence at nuclear sites. We focus on the strengths and weaknesses of common remediation techniques that include ‘pump-and-treat’ (P&T) for contaminated groundwaters, in addition to permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) that are planted into spoilt land as engineered barrier systems to treat contaminated waters in-situ. Phytoremediation, which uses plants to extract, stabilise or degrade contamination, is also assessed as an emerging DTMR clean-up technology, with continuing development being driven by sustainability concerns and rising costs for traditional remediation methods. We supplement this discussion with examples from nuclear sites that are currently undergoing, or have previously undergone, decommissioning. We then conclude with our assessment on the future directions for these technologies and how they, either by themselves or in combination with others, may evolve over time to give more sustainable and less intrusive remediation options for assessors at nuclear or contaminated sites.
Hemming, Shaun, Daniel
e64b1983-cecb-4cce-9b64-23219c648ab4
Purkis, Jamie
17c76efb-2aa2-429e-92b3-5a21de7b02a5
Warwick, Phillip
f2675d83-eee2-40c5-b53d-fbe437f401ef
Graham, James
d2b35a13-921b-4561-944c-372b3e2fdd89
Cundy, Andy
994fdc96-2dce-40f4-b74b-dc638286eb08
Hemming, Shaun, Daniel
e64b1983-cecb-4cce-9b64-23219c648ab4
Purkis, Jamie
17c76efb-2aa2-429e-92b3-5a21de7b02a5
Warwick, Phillip
f2675d83-eee2-40c5-b53d-fbe437f401ef
Graham, James
d2b35a13-921b-4561-944c-372b3e2fdd89
Cundy, Andy
994fdc96-2dce-40f4-b74b-dc638286eb08

Hemming, Shaun, Daniel, Purkis, Jamie, Warwick, Phillip, Graham, James and Cundy, Andy (2022) Current technologies for the remediation of difficult-to-measure radionuclides at nuclear sites - 22224. In WM2022 Symposium. 14 pp .

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

Difficult-to-measure radionuclides (DTMRs), defined by an absence of high-energy gamma emissions during decay, are problematic at nuclear sites. They are common contaminants at many facilities, including Hanford (WA, USA) and Sellafield (Cumbria, UK), that often have long half-lives and can potentially result in adverse health effects in humans, e.g. thyroid cancer from I-129 exposure. Effective remediation is therefore essential if nuclear site end-state targets for return to safe use are to be met. However, due to a lack of techniques for their in-situ detection, technologies designed to remediate these DTMRs are chronically underdeveloped and tend to be labour intensive and environmentally invasive (e.g. excavation), which can lead to further complications including elevated worker exposure doses during decommissioning. This, plus an emerging emphasis on sustainable remediation (e.g. ISO 18504, ASTM-E2876), means there is a renewed focus on less invasive technologies for radionuclide clean-up, and specifically for DTMRs.
In this paper, we outline current technologies (Figure 1) for the remediation of DTMRs I-129, Tc-99, Sr-90 and H-3. These radionuclides have been selected based on their < 100 keV gamma emissions during decay, in combination with their high mobilities in groundwaters and prevalence at nuclear sites. We focus on the strengths and weaknesses of common remediation techniques that include ‘pump-and-treat’ (P&T) for contaminated groundwaters, in addition to permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) that are planted into spoilt land as engineered barrier systems to treat contaminated waters in-situ. Phytoremediation, which uses plants to extract, stabilise or degrade contamination, is also assessed as an emerging DTMR clean-up technology, with continuing development being driven by sustainability concerns and rising costs for traditional remediation methods. We supplement this discussion with examples from nuclear sites that are currently undergoing, or have previously undergone, decommissioning. We then conclude with our assessment on the future directions for these technologies and how they, either by themselves or in combination with others, may evolve over time to give more sustainable and less intrusive remediation options for assessors at nuclear or contaminated sites.

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WM2022 Paper 22224
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Published date: 10 March 2022

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Local EPrints ID: 468255
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/468255
PURE UUID: 68e8dc64-e1e7-41a8-9e56-40b156b00552
ORCID for Shaun, Daniel Hemming: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5826-8710
ORCID for Jamie Purkis: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6387-1220
ORCID for Phillip Warwick: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8774-5125
ORCID for Andy Cundy: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4368-2569

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Date deposited: 09 Aug 2022 16:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:04

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Contributors

Author: Jamie Purkis ORCID iD
Author: Phillip Warwick ORCID iD
Author: James Graham
Author: Andy Cundy ORCID iD

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