Identification and characterization of radioactive particles in the environment

Radioactive particles have been released into the environment from different sources (e.g. nuclear weapon tests, nuclear accidents, nuclear reprocessing plants, and use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions). Nuclear fuel particles have been released from authorised discharges of low-level radioactive effluent into the Irish Sea sediments from the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at Sellafield, UK. Following the use of depleted uranium munitions in the Gulf wars and the Balkan conflicts, the environmental impact of depleted uranium and its behaviour in the environment have been of great concern. In this thesis, nuclear fuel particles released from Sellafield and retained in the intertidal Irish Sea salt marsh sediments, and DU particles arising from testing of DU munitions against hard targets and corrosion of DU metal buried in soil at Eskmeals firing range, UK, were investigated using a range of microanalytical, analytical and radiometric techniques. The particles were characterised in terms of size and morphology, elemental and radionuclide compositions, isotopic composition of associated radionuclides and, crystalline structure of uranium forms. The results demonstrate the usefulness of the applied techniques in characterising environmental radioactive particles, and lead to better understanding of the origin, behaviour and fate of these particles in the environment. The nuclear fuel particles were 1-20 µm in size, composed mainly of uranium and irradiated in the reactor as the transuranium elements (Np, Pu, Am and Cm) can be identified. The isotopic composition of uranium and plutonium suggest that these particles are derived from reprocessing of spent fuel. The results demonstrated the persistence for some decades of irradiated fuel particles in estuarine marine environment.DU particles from firing impacts were oxidized uranium forms (UO2 and U3O8) and composed mainly of uranium with few molten particles composed of a mixture of uranium and iron. DU particles from corrosion processes were mainly sand grains coated with metaschoepite corrosion product. The results showed the diversity of particles which can be produced through the use of DU munitions and the potential for these to persist in the environment for many years.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceUniversity of Aleppo, SyriaGBUnited Kingdo

La stratégie touristique marocaine entre les impératifs de la viabilité et les exigences de la durabilité

Introduction D’une activité de sentier réservée à une élite aristocratique et bourgeoise, le tourisme s’est massifié et démocratisé pour toucher toutes les couches sociales, et ce en raison de l’instauration des congés payés et de l’augmentation de la croissance économique mondiale. Aussi, les immenses progrès techniques et technologiques, notamment dans le domaine des transports, de l’information et de la communication, de même que la grande tendance à la démocratisation du droit aux vacance..

Remediation of soils contaminated with particulate depleted uranium by multi stage chemical extraction

Contamination of soils with depleted uranium (DU) from munitions firing occurs in conflict zones and at test firing sites. This study reports the development of a chemical extraction methodology for remediation of soils contaminated with particulate DU. Uranium phases in soils from two sites at a UK firing range, MOD Eskmeals, were characterised by electron microscopy and sequential extraction. Uranium rich particles with characteristic spherical morphologies were observed in soils, consistent with other instances of DU munitions contamination. Batch extraction efficiencies for aqueous ammonium bicarbonate (42–50% total DU extracted), citric acid (30–42% total DU) and sulphuric acid (13–19% total DU) were evaluated. Characterisation of residues from bicarbonate-treated soils by synchrotron microfocus X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed partially leached U(IV)-oxide particles and some secondary uranyl-carbonate phases. Based on these data, a multi-stage extraction scheme was developed utilising leaching in ammonium bicarbonate followed by citric acid to dissolve secondary carbonate species. Site specific U extraction was improved to 68–87% total U by the application of this methodology, potentially providing a route to efficient DU decontamination using low cost, environmentally compatible reagent

Adsorption of radium and barium on goethite and ferrihydrite: A kinetic and surface complexation modelling study

AbstractRadium and barium uptake onto ferrihydrite and goethite have been studied in the concentration range 1nM to 5mM and from pH 4 to 10, to develop a model to predict radium behaviour in legacy uranium mining wastes. For ferrihydrite, uptake of Ra2+ at nM concentrations was strong at pH >7. At higher concentrations, Ba2+ sorption to ferrihydrite was slightly weaker than that of Ra2+. Experiments with goethite showed weaker binding for both metal ions in all systems. The interactions of radium with both ferrihydrite and goethite are fully reversible. The behaviour of radium during transformation of ferrihydrite to goethite has been studied, and no evidence for irreversible incorporation within the goethite lattice was found; radium uptake to goethite was the same, whether or not it was present during its formation. Calcium competed with radium for ferrihydrite sorption only at high calcium concentrations (>10mM). Barium is a more effective competitor, and a concentration of 1mM reduced radium sorption. Sediment samples from a legacy uranium mining site have been analysed, and the in situ Rd values are consistent with radium uptake by surface coatings of ferrihydrite or goethite like phases. Surface complexation models have been developed for radium sorption to ferrihydrite and goethite which simulate the experimental data successfully. In both cases, approaches based on a single surface functional group and tetradentate binding sites simulated the data successfully. These data could be used in underpinning the safety case for legacy mining sites