Environmental Impact of Nuclear Waste
Insights from US Nuclear Weapon sites㻱㼍㼞㼠㼔㻌㻒㻌㻱㼚㼢㼕㼞㼛㼚㼙㼑㼚㼠㼍㼘㻌㻿㼏㼕㼑㼚㼏㼑㼟㻌㻭㼞㼑㼍㻌

What Can We Learn from Existing Nuclear Contamination?

Haruko Wainwright03/09

㻿㼡㼟㼍㼚㻌㻴㼡㼎㼎㼍㼞㼐㻭㼟㼟㼛㼏㼕㼍㼠㼑㻌㻸㼍㼎㼛㼞㼍㼠㼛㼞㼥㻌㻰㼕㼞㼑㼏㼠㼛㼞㻺㼡㼏㼘㼑㼍㼞㻌㼃㼍㼟㼠㼑㻌㼍㼚㼐㻌㻯㼛㼚㼠㼍㼙㼕㼚㼍㼠㼕㼛㼚

John Oliver, August 20, 2017㻺㼡㼏㼘㼑㼍㼞㻌㼃㼍㼟㼠㼑㻌㼍㼚㼐㻌㻯㼛㼚㼠㼍㼙㼕㼚㼍㼠㼕㼛㼚“Nuclear Waste” Sites: Former Nuclear Weapon Production Sites
Deadly Plutonium: Half life of 24000 years㻺㼡㼏㼘㼑㼍㼞㻌㼃㼍㼟㼠㼑㻌㼍㼚㼐㻌㻯㼛㼚㼠㼍㼙㼕㼚㼍㼠㼕㼛㼚㻺㼡㼏㼘㼑㼍㼞㻌㼃㼍㼟㼠㼑㻌㼍㼚㼐㻌㻯㼛㼚㼠㼍㼙㼕㼚㼍㼠㼕㼛㼚㻺㼡㼏㼘㼑㼍㼞㻌㼃㼍㼟㼠㼑㻌㼍㼚㼐㻌㻯㼛㼚㼠㼍㼙㼕㼚㼍㼠㼕㼛㼚㻺㼡㼏㼘㼑㼍㼞㻌㼃㼑㼍㼜㼛㼚㻌㻼㼞㼛㼐㼡㼏㼠㼕㼛㼚㻌㻿㼕㼠㼑㼟㻺㼡㼏㼘㼑㼍㼞㻌㼃㼑㼍㼜㼛㼚㻌㻼㼞㼛㼐㼡㼏㼠㼕㼛㼚㻌㻿㼕㼠㼑㼟
PlutoniumProductionTritium Production(Mercury)

UraniumMining/Milling

PlutoniumProduction㼃㼍㼟㼠㼑㻌㻰㼕㼟㼜㼛㼟㼍㼘㻦㻌㻱㼍㼞㼘㼥㻌㻰㼍㼥㼟

Savannah River Site F-Area

Rifle, CO

Hanford 300 Area㼃㼍㼟㼠㼑㻌㻵㼟㼛㼘㼍㼠㼕㼛㼚㻫㼃㼍㼟㼠㼑㻌㻵㼟㼛㼘㼍㼠㼕㼛㼚㻫

Limited “public” health impact (officially) (so far)
- Remote locations- Planning- Regulation㻺㼡㼏㼘㼑㼍㼞㻌㼃㼑㼍㼜㼛㼚㻌㻼㼞㼛㼐㼡㼏㼠㼕㼛㼚㻌㻿㼕㼠㼑㼟㻦㻌㼃㼍㼟㼠㼑㻌㻵㼟㼛㼘㼍㼠㼕㼛㼚㻫Love Canal

Cuyahoga RiverMinamata, Japan

Courtesy to Will Stringfellow㻴㼍㼚㼒㼛㼞㼐㻌㻿㼕㼠㼑㻦㻌㼀㼔㼕㼏㼗㻌㼂㼍㼐㼛㼟㼑㻌㼆㼛㼚㼑㻌Technical Document on Waste Disposal, 1943

㻷㼑㼥㻛㻼㼞㼕㼛㼞㼕㼠㼥㻌㻱㼘㼑㼙㼑㼚㼠㼟
Mercury
Tc-99, I-129,Sr-90, H-3,U, CrU

Tc-99, I-129,
H-3, U㻷㼑㼥㻛㻼㼞㼕㼛㼞㼕㼠㼥㻌㻱㼘㼑㼙㼑㼚㼠㼟
Mercury
Tc-99, I-129,Sr-90, H-3,U, Cr

Environmental Mobility Rules!
UTc-99, I-129,H-3, U㻷㼐㻦㻌㻼㼍㼞㼠㼕㼠㼕㼛㼚㻌㻯㼛㼑㼒㼒㼕㼏㼕㼑㼚㼠݉‫݈݋‬)݇݃‫ܭ‬ௗ =݉‫݈݋‬‫ܿ݊݋ܥ ݏݑ݋݁ݑݍܣ‬. ()‫ܮ‬ܵ‫ܿ݊݋ܥ ݈݀݅݋‬. (* Assume linear isotherm and equilibrium
Mobility/Velocity of Each Species‫=ݒ‬‫ݕݐ݅ܿ݋݈ܸ݁ ݎ݁ݐܽݓ݀݊ݑ݋ݎܩ‬ߩ
1 + ‫ܭ‬ௗߝ

Heuel-Fabianek, 2014㻷㼐㻦㻌㻼㼍㼞㼠㼕㼠㼕㼛㼚㻌㻯㼛㼑㼒㼒㼕㼏㼕㼑㼚㼠Elements
H-3
I-129
Tc-99
Sr-90
Uranium
CesiumPlutonium
Heuel-Fabianek, 2014

Kd
0
4.5
0.14
2033
4.4 x 103
1.2 x 103

Yucca Mountain Assessment, Biosphere Model㻱㼚㼢㼕㼞㼛㼚㼙㼑㼚㼠㼍㼘㻌㻾㼑㼙㼑㼐㼕㼍㼠㼕㼛㼚㻦㻌㻱㼢㼛㼘㼡㼠㼕㼛㼚
Sustainable Remediation
Trade offs:
Contaminant removal vs- Cost- Waste- CO2 emission- Energy Use- Ecological Impacts- Noise, Air pollution㻸㼛㼚㼓㻙㼠㼑㼞㼙㻌㻵㼚㼟㼠㼕㼠㼡㼠㼕㼛㼚㼍㼘㻌㻯㼛㼚㼠㼞㼛㼘●●Attractive Re-developmentPlanning䕿㻾㼑㼟㼠㼞㼕㼏㼠㼕㼢㼑㻌㼡㼟㼑㻌㼎㼡㼠㻌㼍㼍㼐㼐㼑㼐㻌㼢㼍㼘㼡㼑㻌㻌䕿㻿㼛㼘㼍㼞㻌㼒㼍㼞㼙㼟㻘㻌㼜㼍㼞㼗㼟㻘㻌㼒㼍㼏㼠㼛㼞㼕㼑㼟

Former Reilly Tar & Chemical Corporation Plant

Longer Institutional Control䕿㻸㼛㼚㼓㻙㼠㼑㼞㼙㻌㼙㼛㼚㼕㼠㼛㼞㼕㼚㼓㻌㼣㼕㼘㼘㻌㼎㼑㻌㼍㻌㼙㼍㼖㼛㼞㻌㼘㼕㼒㼑㻙㼏㼥㼏㼘㼑㻌㼏㼛㼟㼠㻌Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge㻵㼙㼜㼛㼞㼠㼍㼚㼏㼑㻌㻻㼒㻌㻸㼛㼚㼓㻙㼀㼑㼞㼙㻌㻹㼛㼚㼕㼠㼛㼞㼕㼚㼓㼀㼣㼛㻌㼀㼛㼜㼕㼏㼟●Develop Long-term Monitoring Strategies for Nuclear
Contaminated Sites䕿㻲㼡㼗㼡㼟㼔㼕㼙㼍㻌㼞㼑㼓㼕㼛㼚䕿

Savannah River Site F-Area㻿㼍㼢㼍㼚㼚㼍㼔㻌㻾㼕㼢㼑㼞㻌㻿㼕㼠㼑㻌㻲㻙㻭㼞㼑㼍• Disposal activities:– Disposal of low-level radioactive, acidwaste solutions (1955–1989)– Acidic plume with radionuclides (pH 3–3.5,U, 90Sr, 129I, 99Tc, 3H)• Many datasets Æ Technology Test Bed

Bea et al., 2013㻯㼡㼞㼞㼑㼚㼠㻌㻳㼞㼛㼡㼚㼐㼣㼍㼠㼑㼞㻌㻹㼛㼚㼕㼠㼛㼞㼕㼚㼓• Groundwater Sampling Æ Mass Spec••••

10s – 100s of wells
Contamination issues (requires training, equipment)
Temporally sparse: every quarterly, annually Æ Miss anomalies
Compliance only (no analytics)

well㻺㼑㼣㻌㻼㼍㼞㼍㼐㼕㼓㼙㻌㻌㼛㼒㻌㻸㼛㼚㼓㻙㼀㼑㼞㼙㻌㻹㼛㼚㼕㼠㼛㼞㼕㼚㼓• Low-cost in situ sensors, wireless network, cloud computing
Æ Autonomous continuous monitoringÆ Detect changes real-time = Early WarningÆ Reduce monitoring costCloudStorageComputing

data logger& modemSensors

well -phone tower
Machine Learning

work
computerContaminantconcentrations

Water Table
pHRedoxElectrical Conductivity (EC)Big Data㻰㼍㼠㼍㻌㻭㼚㼍㼘㼥㼠㼕㼏㼟㻌㼃㼛㼞㼗㼒㼘㼛㼣
Exploratory Data Analysis

Quantification ofCorrelations

Kalman Filter
Results

Contaminant
Concentration Estimation
Machine Learning㻮㼕㼓㻌㻵㼚㼠㼑㼞㼑㼟㼠㻌㼕㼚㻌㻹㻸㻌㼤㻌㻱㼚㼢㼕㼞㼛㼚㼙㼑㼚㼠㻾㼑㼍㼏㼠㼕㼢㼑㻌㼀㼞㼍㼚㼟㼜㼛㼞㼠㻌㻹㼛㼐㼑㼘㼕㼚㼓㻦㻌㻭㼙㼍㼚㼦㼕

PflotranDavid Moulton

Carl SteefelAmanzi

EngineSergi Molins
Non-electrostatic Surface
Complexation

Driver

CrunchFlow

Alquimia
Electrostatic Surface Complexation
Flow and transport- Richards’ equation- Mimetic finite element method

Enforces a signature forgeochemical subroutines

Other…

㻿㻾㻿㻌㻲㻙㻭㼞㼑㼍㻦㻌㻳㼑㼛㼏㼔㼑㼙㼕㼏㼍㼘㻌㻹㼛㼐㼑㼘

Arora et al, 2017㻿㻾㻿㻌㻲㻙㻭㼞㼑㼍㻦㻌㻿㼡㼞㼒㼍㼏㼑㻌㻯㼛㼙㼜㼘㼑㼤㼍㼠㼕㼛㼚㻌㻹㼛㼐㼑㼘Dong et al., 2012; Bea et al, 2013㻟㻰㻌㼁㼞㼍㼚㼕㼡㼙㻌㻼㼘㼡㼙㼑㻌㻱㼢㼛㼘㼡㼠㼕㼛㼚
Uranium Plume:
Residual contaminants- Under the basins- Within Tan Clay㻵㼚㻌㼟㼕㼠㼡㻌㼂㼍㼞㼕㼍㼎㼘㼑㼟㻌㼢㼟㻌㻯㼛㼚㼠㼍㼙㼕㼚㼍㼚㼠㻌㻯㼛㼚㼏㼑㼚㼠㼞㼍㼠㼕㼛㼚㼟㻌
Nitrate (SC)pH

Measured43
3

Simulated㻹㼛㼚㼕㼠㼛㼞㼕㼚㼓㻌㻻㼜㼠㼕㼙㼕㼦㼍㼠㼕㼛㼚
3D Simulation Result- Reduce # wells
effectively- Capture the spatial
heterogeneity of theplume with minimal #wells

Plume Map

Interpolation Error

Algorithm- Gaussian Process
Models- Greedy Algorithm㻸㼛㼚㼓㻙㼠㼑㼞㼙㻌㻹㼛㼚㼕㼠㼛㼞㼕㼚㼓㻦㻌㻺㼑㼤㼠㻌㻿㼠㼑㼜
Remote sensing- Wetland- Surface Barrier- ETML/AISensingGeophysics
Fiber optics
Modeling45㻺㼡㼏㼘㼑㼍㼞㻌㼃㼍㼟㼠㼑㻌㻰㼕㼟㼜㼛㼟㼍㼘㻿㼕㼠㼑
Engineered barrier system:• Canister• Buffer (Clay/Bentonite)
Natural barrier system:• Deep subsurface• Host rock (low permeability rock)㻿㼡㼙㼙㼍㼞㼥
• What can we learn from existing nuclear contamination for nuclear waste?
• Environmental mobility of radionuclides is critical• Engineering solutions for isolation could be possible• Nuclear sectors: more awareness, tighter regulations• Net environmental impact or broader environmental perspective is needed• Rads vs others; contaminant removal vs side effects• Long-term monitoring is important for public assurance• New paradigm for long-term monitoring based on new sensors/ML/Al– Multiscale data integration and monitoring placement optimization for longWHUPPRQLWRULQJĺ%-DRAM and machine learning– Real-time monitoring of groundwater contamination– Public assurance, early warning, cost reduction㼀㼔㼍㼚㼗㻌㼅㼛㼡㻍Contact
Haruko Wainwright
HMWainwright@LBL.gov* Summer internship positions and exchange programs at LBNL
Acknowledgment
DOE Office of Environmental Management
DOE Office of Science
Japan Atomic Energy Agency