TY - JOUR
KW - Contaminated land
KW - Electrokinetic
KW - Land remediation
KW - On-site trial
KW - Plutonium
AU - K. Agnew
AU - A. Cundy
AU - L. Hopkinson
AU - I. Croudace
AU - P. Warwick
AU - P. Purdie
AB - This paper examines the field-scale application of a novel low-energy electrokinetic technique for the remediation of plutonium-contaminatednuclearsite soils, using soil wastes from the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston site, Berkshire, UK as a test medium. Soils and sediments with varying composition, contaminated with Pu through historical site operations, were electrokinetically treated at laboratory-scale with and without various soil pre-conditioning agents. Results from these bench-scaletrials were used to inform a larger on-siteremediationtrial, using an adapted containment pack with battery power supply. 2.4 m^3 (ca. 4 tonnes) of Pu-contaminated soil was treated for 60 days at a power consumption of 33 kW h/m^3, and then destructively sampled. Radiochemical data indicate mobilisation of Pu in the treated soil, and migration (probably as a negatively charged Pu\textendashcitrate complex) towards the anodic compartment of the treatment cell. Soil in the cathodic zone of the treatment unit was remediated to a level below free-release disposal thresholds (1.7 Bq/g, or 0.4 Bq/g above background activities). The data show the potential of this method as a low-cost, on-site tool for remediation of radioactively contaminated soils and wastes which can be operated remotely on working sites, with minimal disruption to site infrastructure or operations.
BT - Journal of Hazardous Materials
M1 - 2-3
N1 - doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.12.016
N2 - This paper examines the field-scale application of a novel low-energy electrokinetic technique for the remediation of plutonium-contaminatednuclearsite soils, using soil wastes from the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston site, Berkshire, UK as a test medium. Soils and sediments with varying composition, contaminated with Pu through historical site operations, were electrokinetically treated at laboratory-scale with and without various soil pre-conditioning agents. Results from these bench-scaletrials were used to inform a larger on-siteremediationtrial, using an adapted containment pack with battery power supply. 2.4 m^3 (ca. 4 tonnes) of Pu-contaminated soil was treated for 60 days at a power consumption of 33 kW h/m^3, and then destructively sampled. Radiochemical data indicate mobilisation of Pu in the treated soil, and migration (probably as a negatively charged Pu\textendashcitrate complex) towards the anodic compartment of the treatment cell. Soil in the cathodic zone of the treatment unit was remediated to a level below free-release disposal thresholds (1.7 Bq/g, or 0.4 Bq/g above background activities). The data show the potential of this method as a low-cost, on-site tool for remediation of radioactively contaminated soils and wastes which can be operated remotely on working sites, with minimal disruption to site infrastructure or operations.
PY - 2011
SN - 0304-3894
SP - 1405
EP - 1414
T2 - Journal of Hazardous Materials
TI - Electrokinetic remediation of plutonium-contaminated nuclear site wastes: Results from a pilot-scale on-site trial
UR - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389410015967
VL - 186
ER -