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Hepler K, Kaminski MD, Escamilla N, Magnuson M. Effects of aging of radioactive fallout on timely decontamination of concrete using low and mild pressure washing. Heliyon 2024; 10:e34447. [PMID: 39130465 PMCID: PMC11315177 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Timely decontamination will reduce the consequences of a radiological contamination event. For this purpose, pressure washing can be rapidly deployed, but its effectiveness will change if the interactions between the surface and radionuclides changes as the contamination "ages" under the influence of time and precipitation. While effects of this aging have been reported for dissolved cesium, they have not been studied for radionuclides present as particulate, e.g., fallout. This work studied the effects of aging on decontamination with low (<280 kPa/40 psi) and mild (14,000 kPa/2000 psi) pressure washing, on concrete contaminated with surrogate fallout consisting of soluble Cs-137, 0.5 μm silica particles, and 2 μm silica particles. The samples were aged up to 59 days (time between contamination and decontamination) with and without simulated precipitation. The percent removal following decontamination of the soluble cesium decreased over the first ten days of aging until the removals were less than 10 % for both low and mild pressure washing. The particle decontamination was independent of aging time but decontaminating via mild pressure washing (>80 % particle removal) significantly outperformed decontaminating by low pressure washing by flowing solution across (parallel to) the contaminated surface (<25 % particle removal). The observed changes in decontamination efficacy are explained via measurements of the penetration depth of contaminants. For soluble cesium, the results compared favorably with prior studies and theoretical treatment of cesium penetration, and they yielded additional insight into the effect of washing pressures on decontamination. There are no comparable studies for particulate contamination, so this study resulted in several novel observations which are operationally important for timely decontamination of surfaces following a radiological incident. It also suggests an evidence-based pressure washing procedure for timely decontamination of soluble and insoluble radionuclides which can be used throughout the emergency phase and into the early recovery phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Hepler
- Strategic Security Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Michael D. Kaminski
- Strategic Security Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Noemy Escamilla
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois, 1406 W. Green St., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Matthew Magnuson
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH, 45268, USA
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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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Yoshimura K. Air dose rates and cesium-137 in urban areas—deposition, migration, and time dependencies after nuclear power plant accidents. J NUCL SCI TECHNOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00223131.2021.1973608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kazuya Yoshimura
- Sector of Fukushima Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Fukushima, Japan
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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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Yoshimura K, Watanabe T, Kurikami H. Vertical and horizontal distributions of 137Cs on paved surfaces affected by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 217:106213. [PMID: 32217245 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Vertical and horizontal distributions are fundamental for sampling and in-situ gamma spectrum measurement strategies. The distributions of 137Cs were investigated for paved surfaces affected by the Fukusima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Additionally, the effects of the distributions on the measurement uncertainties of in-situ spectrometry were evaluated. Relaxation mass depth, representing the depth profile of 137Cs, was estimated to be less than 0.23 g cm-2. Variation in the relaxation mass depth, of 0.1-0.23 g cm-2, led to a minor error (less than 5%) in the spectral analysis of the137Cs inventory (activity per unit area, kBq m-2). The 137Cs inventory, within a 20 × 20 m square of 400 cells each measuring 1 m2, showed an uneven distribution with large variation; coefficient of variation ranged from 54 to 136% of geometric average inventory of 424 kBq m-2. Increasing the grid size decreased 137Cs inventory variation among cells, revealing the relationship between instrument field of view and the spatial uncertainty of the results of in-situ gamma spectrometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Yoshimura
- Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 45-169 Sukakeba, Minamisoma, Fukushima, 975-0036, Japan.
| | - T Watanabe
- Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 10-2 Fukasaku, Miharu-machi, Fukushima, 963-7707, Japan
| | - H Kurikami
- Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 10-2 Fukasaku, Miharu-machi, Fukushima, 963-7707, Japan
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Begum ZA, Rahman IMM, Ishii K, Tsukada H, Hasegawa H. Dynamics of Strontium and geochemically correlated elements in soil during washing remediation with eco-complaint chelators. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 259:110018. [PMID: 32072959 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.110018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In the study, the dynamics of Sr2+ and geochemically correlated elements (Ca2+, Ba2+, and Y3+) in soil with chelators in the mix (soil to chelator ratio, 1:10; matrix, H2O) were assessed to understand chemical-induced washing remediation of radiogenic waste solids. Specifically, EDTA (2,2',2″,2‴-(ethane-1,2-diyldinitrilo)tetraacetic acid), EDDS (2-[2-(1,2-dicarboxyethylamino)ethylamino]butanedioic acid), GLDA (2-[bis(carboxymethyl)amino]pentanedioic acid), and HIDS (2-(1,2-dicarboxyethylamino)-3-hydroxy-butanedioic acid) are chelators that are used as extractants. The effect of solution pH on chelator-induced extractions of the target elements (t-Es: Sr2+, Ca2+, Ba2+, or Y3+) from soil and stability constants of the t-Es complexes with chelators were used to explain the trends and magnitudes in interactions. Pre- and post-extractive solid-phase speciation was used to define the extent of the competence of each chelator in persuading dissolution of t-Es in the soil. The effects of ultrasonic energy, admixtures of biodegradable chelators, and excess chelators in solution (1:20) were also analyzed on the extractive removal of t-Es from soil. The results indicate that the Sr2+ removal with biodegradable chelators significantly exceeded (approximately 70%) when compared to that of environmentally-persistent EDTA at lower solution pHs and a higher soil to chelator ratio (GLDA > HIDS > EDDS ≈ EDTA). However, the extraction of the geochemically related element was significantly lower.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zinnat A Begum
- Venture Business Laboratory, Advanced Science and Social Co-Creation Promotion Organization, Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan; Department of Civil Engineering, Southern University, 739/A Mehedibag Road, Chittagong, 4000, Bangladesh.
| | - Ismail M M Rahman
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima City, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan.
| | - Kento Ishii
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Tsukada
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima City, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Hasegawa
- Institute of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan.
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High pressure decontamination of building materials during radiological incident recovery. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2019; 208-209:105858. [PMID: 31202509 PMCID: PMC7416510 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/01/2018] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The release of radiological material from a nuclear incident has the potential to cause extensive radiological contamination requiring rapid decontamination. A promising method for rapid remediation is the use of pressure washers to decontaminate building and street surfaces. Pressure washers utilize both physical removal through surface ablation and chemical removal through desorption of bonded radionuclides. To understand the extent that each removal mechanism is present, overall removals, depth profiles, and wash water were analyzed from the pressure washing of various surfaces contaminated with cesium, strontium, and europium. Removals were dependent on surface type with over 80% of the radionuclides removed from concrete, 50–80% from asphalt, and only 20–25% from brick. Generally, the closer the radionuclide was to the surface of the material, the higher the removal, with europium being removed most readily followed by cesium then strontium, though some exceptions were evident. Comparing these removals and depth profiles of radionuclides in non-decontaminated coupons revealed that cesium and europium are mostly removed through surface ablation. Strontium, on the other hand, is desorbed from the surface, especially from brick and asphalt surfaces. Correspondingly, cesium and europium were attached to the particulates that were likely removed with the pressurized water. Strontium was primarily dissolved in the wash water, supporting the observation that the radionuclide is desorbed from each surface. Finally, the faster the surfaces were brought through the high pressure spray, the lower the removals, arising from decreases in both the physical and desorption mechanisms. Pressure washers were concluded to be a promising decontamination method during radiological incident relief. However, the surface and radionuclide identity must be considered when developing proper procedures.
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Complexation behavior of SrII and geochemically-related elements (MgII, CaII, BaII, and YIII) with biodegradable aminopolycarboxylate chelators (GLDA and HIDS). J Mol Liq 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2017.07.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Sawai H, Rahman IM, Lu C, Begum ZA, Saito M, Hasegawa H. Extractive decontamination of cesium-containing soil using a biodegradable aminopolycarboxylate chelator. Microchem J 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2017.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Polyakov EV, Volkov IV, Khlebnikov NA, Tsukanov RR, Ioshin AA. Competitive sorption as a method for decontamination of materials. RADIOCHEMISTRY 2015. [DOI: 10.1134/s1066362215020095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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