• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.462-473
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• 2018

The uranium ore residues from the legacies of past uranium mining and milling activities that resulted from the less stringent environmental standards along with the uranium residues from the existing nuclear power plants continue to be a cause of concern as the final uranium residues are not made safe from radiological and general safety point of view. The deposition of uranium in ponds increases the risk of groundwater getting contaminated as these residues essentially leach through the upper unsaturated geological formation. In this context, a numerical model has been developed in order to forecast the $^{238}U$ and its progenies concentration in an unsaturated soil. The developed numerical model is implemented in a hypothetical uranium tailing pond consisting of sandy soil and silty soil types. The numerical results show that the $^{238}U$ and its progenies are migrating up to the depth of 90 m and 800 m after 10 y in silty and sandy soil, respectively. Essentially, silt may reduce the risk of contamination in the groundwater for longer time span and at the deeper depths. In general, a coupled effect of sorption and hydro-geological parameters (soil type, moisture context and hydraulic conductivity) decides the resultant uranium transport in subsurface environment.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.225-230
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• 2001

The aim of this study is to describe a usefulness of nuclear analytical technique in assessing and comparing the concentration levels through the analysis of uranium using human hair sample in the field of environment. A fission track detection technique was applied to determine the uranium concentration in human hair. Hair samples were collected from two groups of people - a) workers not dealing with uranium directly, and b) workers possibly contaminated with uranium. The concentration of $^{235}$ U for the first group varied from <1 to 39 ng/g and the second group can be estimated up to the level of $\mu$g/g. Radiographs of heavy-duty work samples contained high dense “hot spots” along a single hair. After washing in acetone and distilled water, external contamination was not totally removed. Insoluble uranium compounds were not completely washed out. The (n, f)- radiography technique, having high sensitivity, and capable of getting information on uranium content at each point of a single hair, is an excellent tool for environmental monitoring.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.235-242
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• 2014

Uranium can be released into the water environment from natural sources and human activities. The natural source of uranium is dominant in the Korean soil and groundwater environments. Uranium has both of radioactive and chemical toxic properties. Therefore, a drinking water contaminated with uranium has a high health risk. This study was conducted to determine the uranium concentration of water systems including small village drinking water system, groundwater for drinking water purpose, spring water, groundwater monitoring well, and emergency water suppling system. The uranium concentration was compared with domestic and other countries' standard. The contamination level was also evaluated on the basis of geological characteristics of the area. Among total 803 samples, 6 exceeded the Korean standard, $30{\mu}g/{\ell}$ and this was about 0.7% of the total sample. On the basis of geology, uranium concentration appeared to be increased in order of biotite granodiorite > biotite granite > gneissoid granite. The highest level of uranium was 12.4 in average.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.245-260
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• 2013

Biosorption represents a technological innovation as well as a cost effective excellent remediation technology for cleaning up radionuclides from aqueous environment. In the present study, a bacteria strain FB12 with high adsorption rate of uranium ion was isolated from the vicinity of the nuclear power plant. It was tentatively identified as Bacillus sp.FB12 according to the 16S rDNA sequencing. Efforts were made to further improve the adsorption rate and genetic stability by UV irradiation and UV-LiCl cooperative mutagenesis. The improved strain named Bacillus sp.UV32 obtains excellent genetic stability and a high adsorption rate of 95.9%. The adsorption of uranium U (VI) by Bacillus sp.UV32 from aqueous solution was examined as a function of metal ion concentration, cell concentration, adsorption time, pH, temperature, and the presence of some foreign ions. The adsorption process of U (VI) was found to follow the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation. The adsorption isotherm study indicated that it preferably followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The thermodynamic parameters values calculated clearly indicated that the adsorption process was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic in nature. These properties show that Bacillus sp.UV32 has potential application in the removal of uranium (VI) from the radioactive wastewater.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.407-417
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• 2004

This study is to verify radiation detection method by using $\alpha$-spectroscopy and ${\gamma}$-spectroscopy for concretes and components which will be generated during the decommissioning of the uranium conversion plant. Components and inside walls of the building were contaminated with natural uranium materials. Some parts of the stainless steel pipes and concretes of the walls were sampled and analyzed their alpha and gamma activities respectively. Alpha and gamma activities are well matched each other in the range of high activity region to 0.01 Bq/g and gamma activities are over estimated comparing alpha activities corresponded in below 0.005 Bq/g region for the natural uranium of AUC sample. The $^{238}U$ originated from natural products of conversion process could be distinguished by measuring $^{214}Pb$ or $^{214}Bi$ and $^{234}Th$ or $^{234m}Pa$. Uranium contaminations mainly are in the wall surface of the plant. Decontamination process of generating wastes which can be reached tp background level gamma activities measured by gamma spectroscopy can also be used to conservative assessment data.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.77-83
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• 2013

The original pilot-scale electrokinetic equipment suitable to soil contamination characteristics of Korean nuclear facility sites was manufactured for the remediation of soil contaminated with uranium. During the experiment with the original electrokinetic equipment, many metal oxides were generated and were stuck on the cathode plate. The uranium removal capability of the original electrokinrtic equipment was almost exhausted because the cathode plate covered with metal oxides did not conduct electricity in the original electrokinetic equipment. Therefore, the original electrokinetic equipment was improved. After the remediation experience for 25 days using the improved electrokinetic remediation equipment, the removal efficiency of uranium from the soil was 96.8% and its residual uranium concentration was 0.81 Bq/g. When the initial uranium concentration of soil was about 50 Bq/g, the electrokinetic remediation time required to remediate the uranium concentration below clearance concentration of 1.0 Bq/g was about 34 days. When the initial uranium concentration of soil was about 75 Bq/g, the electrokinetic remediation time required to remediate below 1.0 Bq/g was about 42 days. When the initial uranium concentration of soil was about 100 Bq/g, the electrokinetic remediation time required to remediate below 1.0 Bq/g was about 49 days.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.77-85
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• 2018

There would be a possibility of uranium contamination around the nuclear power plants and the underground waste disposal sites, where the uranium could further migrate and diffuse to some distant places by groundwater. It is necessary to understand the biogeochemical behaviors of uranium in underground environments to effectively control the migration and diffusion of uranium. In general, various kinds of microbes are living in soils and geological media where the activity of microbes may be closely connected with the redox reaction of nuclides resulting in the changes of their solubility. We investigated the adsorption and precipitation behaviors of dissolved uranium on some solid materials using hydrogen gas as an electron donor instead of organic matters. Although the effect of hydrogen gas did not appear in a batch experiment that used granite as a solid material, there occurred a reduction of uranium concentration by 5~8% due to hydrogen in an experiment using bentonite. This result indicates that some indigenous bacteria in the bentonite that have utilized hydrogen as the electron donor affected the behavior (reduction) of uranium. In addition, the bentonite bacteria have showed their strong tolerance against a given high temperature and radioactivity of a specific waste environment, suggesting that the nuclear-biogeochemical reaction may be one of main mechanisms if the natural bentonite is used as a buffer material for the disposal site in the future.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.30-39
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• 2008

The uranium removal efficiency of rhizofiltration was investigated in lab scale experiment. Three plants such as sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), bean (Phaseolus vulgaris var.), and Indian mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.) were cultivated in artificially contaminated solution by uranium at 30 ${\mu}g$/L and 80 ${\mu}g$/L for 72 hours. The removal efficiencies of three cultivars were calculated from the ICP/MS analysis of uranium mass in solution and the plant. For Helianthus annuus L., more than 80% of initial uranium were removed from the solution and the uranium concentration of residual solution maintained lower than 10 ${\mu}g$/L. For Phaseolus vulgaris var. and Brassica juncea (L.) Czern., their uranium removal efficiencies ranged from 60 to 80%. Even the uranium concentration of solution was higher than 500 ${\mu}g$/L, these cultivars removed more than 70% of initial uranium by rhizofiltration, suggesting that the rhizofiltration has a great capability to remove uranium in the contaminated groundwater. The removal efficiency of rhizofiltration by using Brassica juncea (L.) Czern decreased from 83% to 42% with the increase of pH in solution. From the results of the analysis for the uranium accumulation in plants, 99% of uranium transferred into the plant from solution were accumulated in the root and only 1% of uranium existed in the shoot part (including leaves), suggesting that the cost and the time to treat massive grown plants after the rhizofiltration could be dramatically cut down because only their root parts needs to be treated. Finally, the genuine groundwater having high uranium concentration (81.4 ${\mu}g$/L), sampled from Daejoun area, was used in the experiment. The uranium removal efficiency of Helianthus annuus L. for the real groundwater was higher than 95%, investigating that the rhizofiltration is the very useful method to remediate uranium contaminated groundwater.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.8-19
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• 2008

The physicochemical properties of soils having high uranium content, located around Duckpyungri in Korea, were investigated and the lab scale soil washing experiments to remove uranium from the soil were preformed with several washing solutions and on various washing conditions. SPLP (Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure), TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure), and SEP (Sequential Extraction Procedure) for the soil were conducted and the uranium concentration of the extracted solution in SPLP was higher than Drinking Water Limit of USEPA (30 ${\mu}g$/L), suggesting that the continuous dissolution of uranium from soil by the weak acid rain may generate the environmental pollution around the research area. For the soil washing experiments, the uranium removal efficiency of pH 1 solution for S2 soil was about 80 %, but dramatically decreased as pH of solution was > 2, suggesting that strong acidic solutions are available to remove uranium from the soil. For solutions with 0.1M of HCl and 0.05 M of ${H_2}{SO_4}$, their removal efficiencies at 1 : 1 of soil vs. washing solution ratio were higher than 70%, but the removal efficiencies of acetic acid, and EDTA were below 30%. At 1 : 3 of soil vs. solution, the uranium removal efficiencies of 0.1M HCl, 0.05 M ${H_2}{SO_4}$, and 0.5M citric acid solution increased to 88%, 100%, and 61% respectively. On appropriate washing conditions for S2 soil such as 1 : 3 ratio for the soil vs. solution ratio, 30 minute for washing time, and 2 times continuous washing, TOC (Total Organic Contents) and CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) for S2 soil were measured before/after soil washing and their XRD (X-Ray Diffraction) and XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) results were also compared to investigate the change of soil properties after soil washing. TOC and CEC decreased by 55% and 66%, compared to those initial values of S2 soil, suggesting that the soil reclaimant may need to improve the washed soils for the cultivated plants. Results of XRF and XRD showed that the structural change of soil after soil washing was insignificant and the washed soil will be partially used for the further purpose.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2007

Electrorefining experiments were successfully carried out in LiCl-KCl eutectic molten salt with a graphite cathode. It was found that the formation of Uranium-Graphite intercalation compound(U-GIC) helped the self-scraping mechanism of the uranium dendrite and the efficiency of the electrorefiner increased due to an elimination of the stripping step. The contaminations of the uranium deposit by rare earth elements was negligible while about 300 ppm of carbon was observed. The carbon contamination is believed to be eliminated by further purification by yttrium reaction. The morphology characteristics of the recovered U deposit was compared to that of steel cathode. These are only qualitative preliminary experimental results, but we believe that further research on this type of activity change the direction of the electrorefining research on spent nuclear fuel.