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Cumberland SA, Hamilton A, Renshaw JC, Tierney KM, Lunn RJ. Hydroxyapatite coatings on cement paste as barriers against radiological contamination. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11136. [PMID: 37429954 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37822-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023] Open
Abstract
A novel method for precipitating hydroxyapatite (HAp) onto cement paste is investigated for protecting concrete infrastructure from radiological contamination. Legacy nuclear sites contain large volumes of contaminated concrete and are expensive and dangerous to decommission. One solution is to 'design for decommissioning' by confining contaminants to a thin layer. Current layering methods, including paints or films, offer poor durability over plant lifespans. Here, we present a mineral-HAp-coated cement, which innovatively serves as a barrier layer to radioactive contaminants (e.g. Sr, U). HAp is shown to directly mineralise onto a cement paste block in a layer several microns thick via a two-step process: first, applying a silica-based scaffold onto a cement paste block; and second, soaking the resulting block in a PO4-enriched Ringer's solution. Strontium ingression was tested on coated and uncoated cement paste (~ 40 × 40 × 40mm cement, 450 mL, 1000 mg L- 1 Sr) for a period of 1-week. While both coated and uncoated samples reduced the solution concentration of Sr by half, Sr was held within the HAp layer of coated cement paste and was not observed within the cement matrix. In the uncoated samples, Sr had penetrated further into the block. Further studies aim to characterise HAp before and after exposure to a range of radioactive contaminants and to develop a method for mechanical layer separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan A Cumberland
- School of Geography, Geology and Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK.
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G1 1XJ, UK.
| | - Andrea Hamilton
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G1 1XJ, UK
| | - Joanna C Renshaw
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G1 1XJ, UK
| | - Kieran M Tierney
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G1 1XJ, UK
- Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Rankine Avenue, East Kilbride, G75 0QF, UK
| | - Rebecca J Lunn
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G1 1XJ, UK
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Hepler K, Kaminski MD, VanderZee E, Van Groningen C, Magnuson M. Logistics simulation of a remediation effort for a hypothetical radiological contamination scenario. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2022; 255:107017. [PMID: 36152439 PMCID: PMC10027619 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.107017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
To mitigate the effects following a large-scale nuclear or radiological material release in an urban environment and to expedite recovery, the Integrated Wash-Aid Treatment Emergency Reuse System (IWATERS) was developed. IWATERS consists of three operations: washing contaminated surfaces with an ionic wash solution, collecting, and treating the contaminated wash solution on-site to remove contaminants, and reusing the treated solution throughout operations to preserve the clean water resource. This study develops a framework to simulate the logistics of IWATERS deployment, thereby gaining an understanding of the timeline for decontamination operations. For this purpose, the Analysis of Mobility Platform and GoldSim were leveraged for a hypothetical contamination scenario covering 65,200 m2 of an urban center. The framework reveals that remediation progress is limited by several resources, notably the availability of vermiculite, a reactive clay that is required to treat the contaminated wash solution. This study also presents how the simulation approach can be used to characterize alternatives to reduce the influence of limited resources on operational progress. Overall, this work lays the foundation for evaluating different decontamination methods through detailed logistics simulation, i.e., by refining simulation assumptions and expanding the range of scenarios the simulation can depict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Hepler
- Strategic Security Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA.
| | - Michael D Kaminski
- Strategic Security Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA.
| | - Evan VanderZee
- Strategic Security Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA.
| | - Charles Van Groningen
- Strategic Security Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA.
| | - Matthew Magnuson
- Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH, 45268, USA.
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Zhang L, Lai JL, Zhang Y, Luo XG, Li ZG. Degradation of Uranium-Contaminated Decontamination Film by UV Irradiation and Microbial Biodegradation. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022; 84:439-450. [PMID: 34554284 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01862-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This research provides a complete degradation scheme for acrylic copolymer/cellulose acetate butyrate peelable decontamination films. This study analyzed the removal efficiency of uranium by peelable decontamination film. More importantly, the degradability of the films was evaluated by a combined treatment with UV radiation and microbial biodegradation. The results showed that UV radiation would rupture the surface of the decontamination films, which leaded the weight-average molecular weight decreased by 55.3% and number-average molecular weight decreased by 75.83%. Additionally, the microbial flora induced light-degradable decontamination film weight-average molecular weight and number-average molecular weight decreased by 9.3% and 30.73%, respectively. 16S rRNA microbial diversity analysis indicated that Pantoea, Xylella, Cronobacter, and Olivibacter were the major degrading bacteria genera. Among them, 4 key strains that can be stripped of decontamination films have been isolated and identified from the dominant degrading bacteria group. The results show that UV radiation combined with microbial flora can achieve rapid degradation of the decontamination films.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Zhang
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010, China
| | - Jin-Long Lai
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, China
- Engineering Research Center of Biomass Materials, Ministry of Education of, SWUST, 621010, Mianyang, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010, China.
| | - Xue-Gang Luo
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010, China
| | - Zhan-Guo Li
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, China
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Hepler K, Kaminski MD, Jolin WC, Magnuson M. Decontamination of urban surfaces contaminated with radioactive materials and consequent onsite recycling of the waste water. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION 2021; 21:1-11. [PMID: 35586272 PMCID: PMC9112111 DOI: 10.1016/j.eti.2020.101177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Enhancing rapid remediation strategies is paramount for recovery after a large-scale nuclear contamination event in an urban environment. Some current strategies recommend use of readily available equipment, materials, and facilities to expedite recovery. For example, applying pressurized water to contaminated surfaces may effectively remove radioactive contamination. In this study, a commercial power washer removes soluble forms of 152Eu3+, 85Sr2+, and 137Cs+ contamination from common porous building materials, and computer simulations characterize the recycling of the resultant contaminated wash water. Pressure washing the porous building materials under spray conditions typical with do-it-yourself units improved decontamination factors (DFs) for 152Eu compared to low-pressure application of tap water (majority of two-tailed t-test p-values < 0.1), but pressure did not improve DFs for 137Cs or 85Sr. For both pressurized and low-pressure applications, adding potassium ions (K+) to promote ion exchange reactions produced significantly higher DFs for tested radionuclides on asphalt, brick, and concrete. The resultant contaminated wash water can be processed through self-prepared chemical filtration beds of clay and sand. Modeled in a prior study, the beds yielded linear trends (R2 > 0.98) in sensitivity analyses between most bed configuration variables and bed performance variables, permitting flexible ad-hoc bed design. The experimental and simulation results led to estimates of the remediation rate and waste generated after cleaning 250 m2 of cesium-contaminated concrete from the combined deployment of a power washer and two different mobile treatment beds. The first treatment bed was designed to reduce treatment time and processed 1900 L of wash solution in 70 min using 880 kg of clay/sand infill material. Designed to reduce the solid waste generated, the second bed processed the same solution volume in 1040 min (17 h) using 170 kg of clay/sand infill material. The results of this analysis warrant further investigation of power washing with recycled salt solution as an effective rapid decontamination method with manageable waste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Hepler
- Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 60801, USA
- Strategic Security Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Michael D. Kaminski
- Strategic Security Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
- Corresponding author. (M.D. Kaminski)
| | - William C. Jolin
- Strategic Security Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Matthew Magnuson
- Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH, 45268, USA
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Kaminski MD, Oster C, Kivenas N, Lopykinski S, Magnuson M. Penetration of fission product ions into complex solids and the effect of ionic wash methods. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:10114-10124. [PMID: 33169283 PMCID: PMC10235979 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-11392-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
During washing of radiologically impacted building surfaces, penetration of radionuclide ions into complex solids associated with these surfaces may occur. This study investigates the penetration of 137Cs, 85Sr, and 152Eu solutions into numerous common building materials and radionuclide behavior when these materials were exposed to a static bath or low-pressure flow of tap water, 0.1 M potassium chloride (KCl), and 0.5 M KCl. The decontamination efficacy and the depth profile for residual contamination were measured to determine the conditions under which applying a wash solution has benefit compared to physically removing the surface material. On asphalt, 70-80% of the radionuclides were found to be within 0.02 mm of the surface. Concrete is more porous than asphalt, and 80% of the radionuclides were within 0.2 mm of the surface for 137Cs and 152Eu and 50-80% for 85Sr. Water effectively removed all contaminants from hard nonporous surfaces. Finally, this paper illustrates that a wash penalty factor concept-defined as ratio of the depth at which 50% of the radioactivity is found in the washed sample divided by the depth at which 50% of radioactivity is found in the control-can serve as a way to quantify whether the wash method increases the depth at which contamination penetrates into the material and thus the material becomes more difficult to decontaminate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Kaminski
- Strategic Security Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA.
| | - Christopher Oster
- Strategic Security Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Nadia Kivenas
- Strategic Security Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Susan Lopykinski
- Strategic Security Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Matthew Magnuson
- Homeland Security and Materials Management Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH, 45268, USA
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