Academic literature on the topic 'Uranium – Environmental aspects – Vermont'
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Journal articles on the topic "Uranium – Environmental aspects – Vermont"
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Dudar, Tamara V., Olga V. Titarenko, Alla N. Nekos, Olena V. Vysotska, and Andrii P. Porvan. "Some aspects of environmental hazard due to uranium mining in Ukraine." Journal of Geology, Geography and Geoecology 30, no. 1 (April 7, 2021): 34–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.15421/112104.
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Some aspects of environmental hazard within uranium mining areas are considered. The uranium content in the environment components (rocks, soils, underground and surface waters) of the central part of the Ukrainian Shield within and beyond the uranium mining area is analyzed on the example of the Michurinske ore field. It is emphasized that man-made sources of natural origin should be considered more broadly than just waste dumps from uranium mining and processing enterprises. These are sources of ionizing radiation of natural origin, which have been subjected to concentration or their accessibility has been increased because of anthropogenic activity. Additional irradiation to the natural radiation background is formed. Waste dumps of uranium mining are considered as sources of potential dust pollution in the surface layers of atmosphere with fine dust containing uranium, its decay products and associated elements. The area of waste dumps is calculated using space images. Uranium accumulates in the dusty fraction, where its content is 0.01-0.06%. Taking into account the geological and geochemical characteristics of uranium deposits, radioactive elements, heavy metals and other associated elements of uranium mineralization are car- ried out of the dumps by winds and atmospheric waters with their subsequent migration into environment components. A mathematical model of potential dust air pollution in the area of long-term operation of the oldest uranium mine is presented for the summer 2019. In total, 15 factors influencing the potential threat of air dust pollution are considered and analyzed. The mathematical model is developed on the basis of the method of discriminant functions. To assess the degree of the model parameters informativeness, one-factor covariance analysis is used. It allows assessing the degree of a single sign influence on the prediction result. The developed model takes into account the area of waste dumps, uranium content in the dust fraction and wind direction southeast and/or east as the most hazardous for the study area. The model allows determining correctly the level of potential threat of air dust pollution in 96.3% ± 3.6% of all cases.
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Al-Hashimi, A., G. J. Evans, and B. Cox. "Aspects of the permanent storage of uranium tailings." Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 88, no. 1-2 (March 1996): 83–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf00157414.
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Faizullina, Svetlana, Ainur Isaeva, Lailya Matkarimova, and Aigul Zhuzbaeva. "Aspects of sustainable development of industry in Kazakhstan." E3S Web of Conferences 135 (2019): 04043. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/201913504043.
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This article discusses the economic benefits of uranium mining, as well as its environmental and health impacts. Sustainable development includes several aspects: energy, water, the environment, food and the economy, and ensuring each of these aspects is a serious problem. Energy is at the center of other aspects of sustainability, as it has a direct relationship with water, food, and the environment. Uranium is Kazakhstan’s top priority in the global energy market. In the world, there are different opinions on the development of uranium production, increasing the value of atomic energy. Apparently, this should be preceded by a crisis in the field of oil and gas production in recent years, in connection with which the world energy market should have a diversified course depending on various energy sources. Kazakhstan is a country rich in uranium. In addition, over the years of independence, we have increased production almost four times and maintain leadership in the world. Therefore, uranium production is the most important advantage of our global energy space today.
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Lakaniemi, Aino-Maija, Grant B. Douglas, and Anna H. Kaksonen. "Engineering and kinetic aspects of bacterial uranium reduction for the remediation of uranium contaminated environments." Journal of Hazardous Materials 371 (June 2019): 198–212. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.02.074.
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Campbell, Kate M., Tanya J. Gallegos, and Edward R. Landa. "Biogeochemical aspects of uranium mineralization, mining, milling, and remediation." Applied Geochemistry 57 (June 2015): 206–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2014.07.022.
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Magnoni, M., S. Bertino, B. Bellotto, and M. Campi. "Variations of the Isotopic Ratios of Uranium in Environmental Samples Containing Traces of Depleted Uranium: Theoretical and Experimental Aspects." Radiation Protection Dosimetry 97, no. 4 (December 1, 2001): 337–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.rpd.a006684.
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Yin, Meiling, Daniel C. W. Tsang, Jing Sun, Jin Wang, Jianying Shang, Fa Fang, Yang Wu, et al. "Critical insight and indication on particle size effects towards uranium release from uranium mill tailings: Geochemical and mineralogical aspects." Chemosphere 250 (July 2020): 126315. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126315.
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Yu, Jun Yi, Wen Yu Zhao, Guang Wen Yang, and Sha Sha Zeng. "Research on Biological Materials with Uranium Biosorption by Microalgae: A Review." Applied Mechanics and Materials 508 (January 2014): 290–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.508.290.
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With the development of nuclear science, uranium-contained wastewater was heavily generated. If not properly handled, it is bound to bring environmental and human health hazards. Conventional uranium-contained wastewater treatment technologies are limited in certain aspects, such as high reagent and energy consumption, secondary pollution and so on. The microalgae-based biosorption technique for treating uranium-contained wastewater is an economical, simple, effective and feasible approach. This paper summarized the basic mechanism of the technology, and discussed the effects of different pH, algal cell biomass concentration, initial uranium ion concentration and the growth state of algal cells on the biological treatment process of uranium-contained wastewater. Finally, the study explored the future prospects of the technology.
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Jobin, Jean-François. "Étude de certains aspects du droit nucléaire canadien." Articles 22, no. 2 (April 12, 2005): 347–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.7202/042440ar.
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The law respecting nuclear energy has to date been the subject of relatively few studies in Canada. Considering, however, the growing importance of nuclear energy as a new or additional form of energy, besides oil, gas, coal and hydroelectric power, and on the other hand, the increase in public concern about the possible consequences of the nuclear option, especially on health and the environment, this area of law is undoubtedly bound to experience a major development. The purpose of the present article is to study existing federal legislation on the matter, as well as its effects on certain provincial jurisdictions, more particularly in Quebec. The author, after recalling certain technical data concerning components and functions of nuclear reactors, proceeds to analyse the main intervenors in the nuclear field, as contemplated by the Atomic Energy Control Act. One cannot help but acknowledge that the Atomic Energy Control Board, by means of its important supervisory and regulatory powers, intervenes at all stages of the nuclear cycle. The author also studies the constitutional basis for the federal intervention in this field of activity. After eliminating the national defence power, the national dimension theory and the emergency power as possible alternatives, he concludes that while Parliament may perhaps invoke its residuary power, its declaratory power appears as the surest constitutional basis for asserting its legislative authority over that particular matter. In the last part of the article, the author attempts to emphasize the effects of federal intervention on provincial property rights over uranium mines, and on provincial jurisdictions over labour relations, health and safety at the workplace and environmental protection. This analysis points out that provincial legislative authority over the management and development of their natural resources is not only inapplicable in respect of uranium, but that their property rights over uranium mines are rather precarious. It seems clear, further, that jurisdiction over labour relations within nuclear undertakings lies exclusively with the federal authority. One could argue that such is also the case with those aspects of nuclear undertakings which are connected with workers' health and safety as well as environmental protection, since those matters are intimately linked with the control of atomic energy. Two main conclusions can be drawn from this study. Firstly, it appears certain that Parliament, in legislating as it did, intended to regulate the whole nuclear energy cycle, from the extraction of uranium ore to the ultimate disposal of nuclear waste. Secondly, that authority could hardly be challenged by provinces or any other interested party, at least on constitutional grounds.
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Tripathi, R. M., and V. N. Jha. "Radiological safety and environmental monitoring aspects of mining and processing of uranium ore at Jaduguda, India." International Journal of Low Radiation 9, no. 3 (2014): 228. http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/ijlr.2014.060913.
Full textDissertations / Theses on the topic "Uranium – Environmental aspects – Vermont"
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Proulx, Michèle. "The uranium mining industry of the Bancroft area, an environmental history and heritage assessment." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp04/mq21696.pdf.
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Thomas, Sara Henry. "Ecophysiology and diversity of anaeromyxobacter spp. and implications for uranium bioremediation." Diss., Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/28123.
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Thesis (M. S.)--Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009.Committee Chair: Dr. Frank E. Löffler; Committee Member: Dr. Joseph B. Hughes; Committee Member: Dr. Kurt D. Pennell; Committee Member: Dr. Lawrence J. Shimkets; Committee Member: Dr. Robert A. Sanford; Committee Member: Dr. Thomas DiChristina.
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Oxenberg, Tanya Palmateer. "The use of catchboxes to minimize the impact to the environment from testing depleted uranium penetrations." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/18219.
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Sibley, Samuel D. Jr. "The Impact of Salt Marsh Hydrogeology on Dissolved Uranium." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/7262.
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We quantified U removal and investigated the efficacy of uranium as a quantitative tracer of groundwater discharge in a headwater salt marsh of the Okatee River, Bluffton, SC. Determining the magnitude of U removal is important for advancing U as a tracer of paleo-oceanic conditions. Since salt marsh groundwater is typically enriched in nutrients and other biologically and chemically reactive species, quantifying groundwater discharge from marshes is critical for understanding the ability of salt marshes to modify the chemistry of important species in surface waters.
We hypothesized that water-column U(VI) was removed by tidally-induced advection of surface water into permeable, anoxic salt marsh sediments, a process resulting in bacterially-mediated precipitation of insoluble U(IV)O2 and/or sorption of uranium to iron-oxides at the oxic/anoxic sediment interface. Furthermore, we suggested that hydraulic pressure gradients established by marsh-surface tidal inundation and seasonally-variable rainfall promote the discharge of salt-marsh-processed, uranium-depleted groundwater to tidal creeks, producing the surface-water U-removal signal.
Groundwater and surface water data revealed non-conservative uranium behavior. We documented extensive uranium removal from shallow marsh groundwater and seasonally variable uranium removal from surface waters. These observations allowed for the calculation of seasonally-dependent salt marsh uranium removal rates. On a yearly basis, our removal rate (58 to 104 mol m-2 year-1) reemphasized the importance of anoxic coastal environments for U removal.
High uranium removal, high barium concentration water observed seeping from creek banks at low tide supported our hypothesis that groundwater discharge must contribute to uranium removal documented in tidal surface waters. Average site groundwater provided an analytically reasonable endmember for explaining uranium depletion in surface water. Therefore, we used three endmember mixing models for estimating the fraction of surface water with presumed a groundwater signature. Our discharge estimates of 8 to 37 L m-2 day-1 agreed closely with previously published salt marsh values. Seasonality in discharge rates can be rationalized with appeal to seasonal patterns in observed rainfall, tidal forcing, and marsh surface bioturbation. Although more work is needed, the results of this portion of the study suggest that U may be an effective quantitative tracer of groundwater discharge from salt marshes.
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Martin, Paul Craig. "Radiological impact assessment of uranium mining and milling." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2000.
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Nugent, Monica School of Science & Technology Studies UNSW. "Nature's women: ecofeminist reflections on Jabiluka." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Science & Technology Studies, 2002. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/20331.
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Environmentalists see the protest against the Jabiluka uranium mine in Australia's Northern Territory as an example of positive green-black relations. The formation of an alliance between Aboriginal owners and greens to protest against the mine resulted in a lengthy campaign that included maintaining a camp near the leasesite and organising a long series of mass protest actions in a remote location over an extended period from March to October 1998. However, some tensions between greens and the traditional Aboriginal owners became evident as the campaign went on. This thesis traces the origins of these tensions to past conflicts between environmentalists and Aboriginal people and shows that they are largely related to their conflicting perceptions of the environment. Those perceptions arise from different knowledge systems and are encapsulated in the terms 'wilderness' and 'country', used to describe the physical world by environmentalists and Aboriginal owners respectively. I discuss the attitudes towards the environment that accompany those perceptions and consider the way they were manifest in some of the tensions that arose at Jabiluka. The close relationship between influential strands of environmentalism and Western science is a related source of conflict. My analysis of that relationship shows that environmentalism, via 'green science' is more closely aligned with the developmentalist worldview than the Aboriginal worldview. The thesis is an analytical reflection upon the Jabiluka Protesters' Camp based on the personal experience I gained from my fieldwork there and informed by the literature of feminism, ecofeminism, social constructionism and anthropology. I discuss the manifestations of ecofeminism I observed at Jabiluka. I argue that the Jabiluka Protesters' Camp functioned successfully because it utilised ecofeminist principles and practices, that as a consequence the relationship between greens and blacks has been strengthened and therefore that ecofeminism can continue to have a positive effect on those relations in the future.
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Jeronimo, Adroaldo Clovis. "Metodologia para a prevenção de riscos ocupacionais nos processos da conversão do urânio." [s.n.], 2013. http://repositorio.unicamp.br/jspui/handle/REPOSIP/266580.
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Orientador: Wagner dos Santos OliveiraTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Química
Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-23T04:04:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jeronimo_AdroaldoClovis_D.pdf: 4228405 bytes, checksum: c8569d86097f26c1f29121c0181597cd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013
Resumo: As atividades de investigação, avaliação e prevenção das emissões químicas com potencial para causar doenças ocupacionais nos inúmeros processos químicos representam atividades importantes sob o ponto de vista da preservação à saúde humana, segurança e meio ambiente. Este estudo apresenta metodologia para o monitoramento dos riscos ocupacionais e ambientais nos processos de conversão de compostos de urânio no ciclo de combustível nuclear. Nos tópicos estudados a atenção está voltada para o risco e perigo à saúde ocupacional relacionado à exposição às substancias químicas perigosas integradas nos demais estágios dos processos. As questões de saúde, segurança e meio ambiente exercem papeis cruciais neste e em inúmeros processos de engenharia, envolvendo uma rede de atividades que, se não gerenciados de forma adequada, podem causar danos à saúde das pessoas e seu meio. Desta forma, aumenta-se a necessidade de métodos alternativos de prevenção aos riscos com participação multidisciplinar para refinar continuamente a busca de melhoria nos sistemas químicos em estudo. A compreensão de perigo nos demais estágios do processo são questões aqui abordadas. Por ser impossível estudar a imensidade de processos químicos, são selecionadas algumas substâncias que servirão de base para avaliação das situações de exposição. As anomalias dessas situações de riscos aconteceram simultaneamente com o gerenciamento das atividades de P&D, que culminaram com o domínio da tecnologia de produção do hexafluoreto de urânio pelo Brasil
Abstract: The activities of research, evaluation and prevention of chemical emissions with potential to cause occupational diseases in the endless number chemical processes represents important activities under the viewpoint of the preservation the human health, hazards and environment. This I study presents methodology for monitoring of environmental and occupational risks in the uranium compounds conversion processes of compounds of uranium in nuclear fuel cycle. In the topics studied attention is focused on the risk and hazards the occupational health, related to the occupational exposure to hazards chemicals integrated in other stages of the processes. The issues of health, safety and environment exert crucial roles in this an in many engineering processes, involving a network of activities that, if not managed properly, can cause damage to the health of the people and its environment. In this way, increase-it needs alternative methods of preventing to the risks with multidisciplinary participation to continually refine the search for improvements in the chemical systems under study. The understandings of danger in other stages of the process are issues addressed here. By it be impossible researched the immensity of chemical processes, are selected some substances that serve as the basis for assessment of exposure situations. The anomalies of these situations of risks happen simultaneously to the management of the activities of P&D, which culminate with the mastery of the technology of production of uranium hexafluoride by Brazil
Doutorado
Desenvolvimento de Processos Biotecnologicos
Doutor em Engenharia Química
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Henderson, Susan Jane. "Analysis of the long-term slope stability of waste-rock dumps /." Title page, table of contents and abstract only, 1992. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phh4972.pdf.
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Sapp, Mandy M. "Uranium and technetium bio-immobilization in intermediate-scale permeable reactive scale barriers." Thesis, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/30056.
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Groundwater at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Field Research Center
(FRC) is contaminated with U(VI) and Tc(VII), has pH values as low as 3.3, and
nitrate concentrations as high as 120 mM. The objective of this research was to
determine if in-situ bio-immobilization is a viable treatment alternative for this water.
A laboratory column packed with crushed limestone and bicarbonate was used
to model in-situ pH adjustment. Denitrification and metal reduction were modeled in
columns packed with FRC sediment with ethanol as the electron donor. Two
intermediate-scale physical models deployed in the field were packed with limestone
and sediment and were stimulated with ethanol to support denitrification, U(VI)
reduction, and Tc(VII) reduction of FRC groundwater.
The limestone/bicarbonate column maintained a pH of above 5 for nearly one
hundred pore volumes without significant loss in hydraulic conductivity. The high-nitrate
(~120 mM) column study provided rates of denitrification (~15.25 mM/day),
ethanol utilization (~13 mM/day), and technetium reduction (~120 pM/day) by
sediment microorganisms, but no uranium reduction was detected. Results of the low
nitrate (3 mM) column study indicate that once the pH of FRC water is adjusted to pH
~7 and nitrate is removed, uranium (~3 μM) and technetium (~500 pM) reduction
occurred with ethanol as the electron donor at rates of 0.5 μM/day and 57 pM/day.
Similar results were obtained in two intermediate-scale (~3 m long) physical
models. Data from the high-nitrate, low-pH model indicate that the pH was increased
and nitrate and technetium reduction were occurring. Decreased U(VI) concentrations
were measured in the presence of high nitrate concentrations. Thus, U(VI) precipitates
may form or sorption of U(VI) may occur near the inlet in the pH adjustment region.
The maximum pseudo-first order rates of reduction measured during the seventh week
of model operation were: nitrate at 0.76 day⁻¹, Tc(VII) at 0.28 day⁻¹, and U(VI) at 0.12
day⁻¹. Ethanol concentrations were reduced from ~180 mM to zero in ~10 days
during the seventh week of model operation. No Fe(II) production was measured.
Concentration data collected from the low nitrate, neutral pH model indicate
that nitrate, uranium, and technetium reduction were occurring, though the model had
been operational for only ~6 weeks. No Fe(II) production was detected but sulfate
reduction was occurring.
The results of the laboratory experiments and the performance of the
intermediate-scale physical models suggest that bio-immobilization is a viable
treatment alternative for the contaminated groundwater at the FRC.Graduation date: 2004
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Potter, Nathan Kent. "Development of a functional prototype of an environmental risk assessment parameter database on the World-Wide Web." Thesis, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/33793.
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The goal of the project was to develop a functional prototype of an environmental
risk assessment parameter database on the World-Wide Web. The ability to develop a
consolidated environmental database has become possible due to the phenomenal growth
of the Internet and the World-Wide Web over the past few years. A large number of
environmental resources do currently exist; however, with the large volume of
information available, access, management, reliability, and retrievability have become
increasingly difficult.
To illustrate the prototype database, a practical environmental concern and the
tools necessary to evaluate and characterize that concern were needed. Uranium (�������U)
daughters leaching from abandoned mill tailing piles at three abandoned uranium mines
in southwestern Colorado were chosen to demonstrate the database concept. The
RESRAD environmental pathway modeling code served as the evaluation and
characterization tool. Due to the size and complexity of RESRAD, a single radionuclide
release rate equation was isolated as a controllable component of the code. The equation
was a small part of the water pathway factor and examined the rate at which
radionuclides absorbed in soil were leached by infiltrating water. This serves as the
source term for groundwater contamination and directly applies to the �������U progeny
leaching from mill tailing piles scenario. Parameters selected from the equation dealt with the background data that directly influenced the mobility of contaminates in the environment. Environmental data for the three Colorado sites were gathered and interpreted. Probability Density Functions (PDFs) were developed for input parameters and the results were then incorporated into the web site.Graduation date: 1998
Books on the topic "Uranium – Environmental aspects – Vermont"
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Finch, Warren Irvin. Uranium, its impact on the national and global energy mix: And its history, distribution, production, nuclear fuel-cycle, future, and relation to the environment. Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 1997.
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Panel, National Research Council (U S. ). Uranium Mill Tailings Study. Scientific basis for risk assessment and management of uranium mill tailings. Washington, D.C: National Academy Press, 1986.
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Joint Federal-Provincial Panel on Uranium Mining Developments in Northern Saskatchewan (Canada). Midwest uranium mine project ; Cigar Lake uranium mine project ; Cumulative observations: Report of the Joint Federal-Provincial Panel on Uranium Mining Developments in Northern Saskatchewan. [Regina]: The Panel, 1997.
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Joint Federal-Provincial Panel on Uranium Mining Developments in Northern Saskatchewan (Canada). Midwest Uranium Mine Project ; Cigar Lake Uranium Mine Project ; Cumulative observations: Report of the Joint Federal-Provincial Panel on Uranium Mining Developments in Northern Saskatchewan. Hull, Qué: Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, 1997.
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International, Conference on Uranium Mining and Hydrogeology (5th 2008 Freiberg Germany). Uranium, mining and hydrogeology. Berlin: Springer, 2008.
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International Conference on Uranium Mining and Hydrogeology (5th 2008 Freiberg, Germany). Uranium, mining and hydrogeology. Edited by Merkel Broder and Hasche-Berger Andrea 1976-. Berlin: Springer, 2008.
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Canada. Federal Environmental Assessment Review Office. Rabbit Lake uranium mining A-zone, D-zone, Eagle Point: Report of the Environmental Assessment Panel. Hull, Qué: Federal Environmental Assessment Review Office, 1993.
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International Conference on Uranium Mining and Hydrogeology (5th 2008 Freiberg, Germany). Uranium, mining and hydrogeology. Edited by Merkel Broder and Hasche-Berger Andrea 1976-. Berlin: Springer, 2008.
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United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Subcommittee on Mineral Resources Development and Production. Impacts of past uranium mining practices. Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 1990.
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Borson, Daniel. Forever in its debt?: The $9 billion debacle of the U.S. uranium enrichment program. Washington, D.C: Public Citizen, Critical Mass Energy Project, 1989.
Find full textConference papers on the topic "Uranium – Environmental aspects – Vermont"
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Brown, Steven H. "Radiological Aspects of In Situ Uranium Recovery." In The 11th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management. ASMEDC, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/icem2007-7379.
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In the last few years, there has been a significant increase in the demand for Uranium as historical inventories have been consumed and new reactor orders are being placed. Numerous mineralized properties around the world are being evaluated for Uranium recovery and new mining / milling projects are being evaluated and developed. Ore bodies which are considered uneconomical to mine by conventional methods such as tunneling or open pits, can be candidates for non-conventional recovery techniques, involving considerably less capital expenditure. Technologies such as Uranium in situ leaching in situ recovery (ISL / ISR), have enabled commercial scale mining and milling of relatively small ore pockets of lower grade, and may make a significant contribution to overall world wide uranium supplies over the next ten years. Commercial size solution mining production facilities have operated in the US since 1975. Solution mining involves the pumping of groundwater, fortified with oxidizing and complexing agents into an ore body, solubilizing the uranium in situ, and then pumping the solutions to the surface where they are fed to a processing plant. Processing involves ion exchange and may also include precipitation, drying or calcining and packaging operations depending on facility specifics. This paper presents an overview of the ISR process and the health physics monitoring programs developed at a number of commercial scale ISL / ISR Uranium recovery and production facillities as a result of the radiological character of these processes. Although many radiological aspects of the process are similar to that of conventional mills, conventional-type tailings as such are not generated. However, liquid and solid by product materials may be generated and impounded. The quantity and radiological character of these by products are related to facility specifics. Some special monitoring considerations are presented which are required due to the manner in which Radon gas is evolved in the process and the unique aspects of controlling solution flow patterns underground. An overview of the major aspects of the health physics and radiation protection programs that were developed at these facilities are discussed and contrasted to circumstances of the current generation and state of the art of Uranium ISR technologies and facilities.
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Brown, S. H. "Design Improvements and ALARA at U.S. Uranium In Situ Recovery Facilities." In ASME 2009 12th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management. ASMEDC, 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/icem2009-16415.
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In the last few years, there has been a significant increase in the demand for Uranium as historical inventories have been consumed and new reactor orders are being placed. Numerous mineralized properties around the world are being evaluated for Uranium recovery and new mining / milling projects are being evaluated and developed. Ore bodies which are considered uneconomical to mine by conventional methods such as tunneling or open pits, can be candidates for non-conventional recovery techniques, involving considerably less capital expenditure. Technologies such as Uranium In Situ Leaching / In Situ Recovery (ISL / ISR - also refered to as “solution mining”), have enabled commercial scale mining and milling of relatively small ore pockets of lower grade, and are expected to make a significant contribution to overall world wide uranium supplies over the next ten years. Commercial size solution mining production facilities have operated in the US since the mid 1970’s. However, current designs are expected to result in less radiological wastes and emissions relative to these “first” generation plants (which were designed, constructed and operated through the 1980s). These early designs typically used alkaline leach chemistries in situ including use of ammonium carbonate which resulted in groundwater restoration challenges, open to air recovery vessels and high temperature calcining systems for final product drying vs the “zero emmisions” vaccum dryers as typically used today. Improved containment, automation and instrumentation control and use of vacuum dryers in the design of current generation plants are expected to reduce production of secondary waste byproduct material, reduce Radon emisions and reduce potential for employee exposure to uranium concentrate aerosols at the back end of the milling process. In Situ Recovery in the U.S. typically involves the circulation of groundwater, fortified with oxidizing (gaseous oxygen e.g) and complexing agents (carbon dioxide, e.g) into an ore body, solubilizing the uranium in situ, and then pumping the solutions to the surface where they are fed to a processing plant (mill). Processing involves ion exchange and may also include precipitation, drying or calcining and packaging operations depending on facility specifics. This paper presents an overview of the ISR process and the health physics monitoring programs developed at a number of commercial scale ISL / ISR Uranium recovery and production facillities as a result of the radiological character of these processes. Although many radiological aspects of the process are similar to that of conventional mills, conventional-type tailings as such are not generated. However, liquid and solid byproduct materials may be generated and impounded. The quantity and radiological character of these by products are related to facility specifics. Some special monitoring considerations are presented which are required due to the manner in which radon gas is evolved in the process and the unique aspects of controlling solution flow patterns underground. The radiological character of these procesess are described using empirical data collected from many operating facilities. Additionally, the major aspects of the health physics and radiation protection programs that were developed at these first generation facilities are discussed and contrasted to circumstances of the current generation and state of the art of uranium ISR technologies and facilities.
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Peake, R. Thomas, Daniel Schultheisz, Loren W. Setlow, Brian Littleton, Reid Rosnick, and Ken Czyscinski. "An Overview of US EPA’s Current Radioactive Waste Management and General Radiation Protection Efforts." In ASME 2009 12th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management. ASMEDC, 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/icem2009-16104.
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The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Radiation Protection Division is the portion of EPA (or the Agency) that develops environmental standards for radioactive waste disposal in the United States. One current issue of concern is the disposal of low activity radioactive waste (LAW), including wastes that would be produced by a radiological dispersal device (RDD), for which current disposal options may be either inconsistent with the hazard presented by the material or logistically problematic. Another major issue is related to the resurgence in uranium mining. Over the past several years, demand for uranium for nuclear power plant fuel has increased as has the price. The increase in price has made uranium mining potentially profitable in the US. EPA is reviewing its relevant regulations, developed primarily in the 1980s, for potential revisions. For example, in-situ leaching (also known as in-situ recovery) is now the technology of choice where applicable, yet our current environmental standards are focused on conventional uranium milling. EPA has two actions in process, one related to the Clean Air Act, the other related to revising the environmental standards that implement the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 (UMTRCA). Separately, but related, EPA has developed over the last several years uranium mining documents that address technologically enhanced natural occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) from abandoned uranium mines, and wastes generated by active uranium extraction facilities. Lastly, in 1977 EPA developed environmental standards that address nuclear energy, fuel fabrication, reprocessing, and other aspects of the uranium fuel cycle. In light of the increased interest in nuclear power and the potential implementation of advanced fuel cycle technologies, the Agency is now reviewing the standards to determine their continued applicability for the twenty-first century.
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Nitzsche, Olaf, Stefan Thierfeldt, and Lothar Hummel. "Remediation of Subsurface and Groundwater Contamination With Uranium From Fuel Fabrication Facilities at Hanau (Germany)." In ASME 2013 15th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/icem2013-96073.
Full textAbstract:
This paper presents aspects of site decommissioning and clearance of a former fuel fabrication facility (development and production of fuel assemblies for research reactors and HTR) at Hanau (Germany). The main pathways for environmental contamination were deposition on soil surface and topsoil and pollution of deep soil and the aquifer by waste water channel leakage. Soil excavation could be done by classical excavator techniques. An effective removal of material from the saturated zone was possible by using advanced drilling techniques. A large amount of demolished building structure and excavated soil had to be classified. Therefore the use of conveyor detector was necessary. Nearly 100000 Mg of material (excavated soil and demolished building material) were disposed of at an underground mine. A remaining volume of 700 m3 was classified as radioactive waste. Site clearance started in 2006. Groundwater remediation and monitoring is still ongoing, but has already provided excellent results by reducing the remaining Uranium considerably.
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Puig, Francesc, Javier Dies, Manuel Sevilla, Joan de Pablo, Juan Jose´ Pueyo, Lourdes Miralles, and Aurora Marti´nez-Esparza. "Selection and Evaluation of Inner Material Canididates for Spanish Highlevel Radioactive Waste Canisters." In The 11th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management. ASMEDC, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/icem2007-7178.
Full textAbstract:
This paper summarizes the work carried out to analyse different alternatives related to the inner material selection of the Spanish high level waste canister for long term storage. The preliminary repository design considers granitic or clay formations, compacted bentonite sealing, corrosion allowing steel canisters and glass bead filling between the fuel assemblies and canister walls. This filling material will have the primary role of avoiding the possibility of a criticality event, which becomes an issue of major importance once the container is finally breached by corrosion and flooded by groundwater. In the first place, a complete set of requirements have been devised as evaluation criteria for candidate materials examination and selection; resulting in a compilation of demands significantly deeper and more exhaustive than any other similar work found in literature, including over 20 requirements and some other general aspects that could involve improvements in repository performance. Secondly, eight materials or material families (cast iron or steel, borosilicate glass, spinel, depleted uranium, dehydrated zeolites, hematite, phosphates and olivine) have been chosen and examined in detail, extracting some relevant conclusions. Either cast iron, borosilicate glass, spinel or depleted uranium are considered to look quite promising for the mentioned purpose.
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Case, G. G., and R. L. Zelmer. "Comparative Experiences in Environmental Remediation of LLR Waste Sites in Diverse Canadian Environments." In ASME 2003 9th International Conference on Radioactive Waste Management and Environmental Remediation. ASMEDC, 2003. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/icem2003-4846.
Full textAbstract:
A variety of sites contaminated with legacy low-level radioactive (LLR) waste materials have been identified across Canada. Many of these sites, associated with former radium and uranium refining and processing operations, are located in urbanized areas of southern Ontario. However, other sites have been discovered at more remote locations in Canada, including northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. The diversity of waste froms, ranging from pitchblende ore and processing wastes, to discarded luminescent products, combined with construction and transportation logistical issues encountered at these sites, present ongoing challenges for the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Office (LLRWMO) to overcome in meeting its mandate to resolve these legacy problems. Since its establishment in 1982, the federal government’s LLRWMO has operated programs to characterize and delineate contaminated historic waste sites across Canada. These programs have included undertaking property decontaminations, waste consolidation and interim storage projects at many sites, and participating with federal and provincial government departments and local communities to consider long-term storage and disposal opportunities. This paper compares four specific environmental remediation programs conducted by the LLRWMO within diverse Canadian settings found at Port Hope and Toronto (southern Ontario), Fort McMurray (northern Alberta), and Vancouver (west coast of British Columbia). Contaminant characterization and delineation, and remediation plan design and implementation aspects of these individual programs span the time period from the early 1980s through to 2002. The individual programs dealt with a variety of legacy waste forms that contained natural radioactive materials such as radium-226, total uranium, total thorium and thorium-230, as well as coincidental inorganic contaminants including arsenic, barium, cadmium, cobalt, lead, mercury, vanadium and zinc. Application of the lessons learned during these individual programs, as well as the development of new and innovative technologies to meet the specific needs of these programs, have enabled the LLRWMO to effectively and efficiently implement environmental remediation solutions that address the variety of Canada’s legacy LLR wastes.introduction.
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Smail, Timothy R., Annamarie M. Herb, and Monica C. Hall. "Stabilization of Underground Solvent Storage Tanks." In ASME 2003 9th International Conference on Radioactive Waste Management and Environmental Remediation. ASMEDC, 2003. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/icem2003-4786.
Full textAbstract:
The Old Solvent Tanks (OST), located at the Savannah River Site (SRS) Old Radioactive Waster Burial Ground (ORWBG), are comprised of 22 underground storage tanks that were used to store spent radioactive solvent and aqueous wastes generated from the plutonium-uranium extraction (PUREX) process. The OSTs were installed at various dates between 1955 and 1968 and used to store the spent solvents until 1974. The spent solvents stored in the OSTs were transferred out from 1976 through 1981 leaving only residual liquids and sludges that could not be pumped out. Final remediation goals for the ORWBG include an overlying infiltration control system. If the tanks were to structurally fail, they would collapse causing potential for onsite worker exposure and release of tank contents to the environment. Therefore, as an interim action, methods for stabilizing the tanks were evaluated. The preferred remedial action was “Grouting of the Tank Wastes In-situ.” The primary function of the grout is to provide structural stability of the tanks by filling void space with material that prevents tank collapse. Incidental to any mixing that may occur, residual material in the tanks will be incorporated into the grouting mixture. The incidental grouting will ultimately improve environmental protection by rendering the residual material immobile. To accomplish this task, the SRS Environmental Restoration Division (ERD) teamed with the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) to determine a remedial design strategy and to translate this strategy into a construction specification and drawings for implementation. The OST remedial design strategy contained the following key aspects for performance requirements and acceptance criteria: • Grout mix; • Tank atmosphere testing; • Grout delivery system and camera monitoring system; • Off-Gas HEPA filter system and environmental monitoring; • OST Sealing and labeling. From November 2001 through February 2003 all 22 Old Solvent Tanks were successfully stabilized. This paper will discuss the systems designed to perform and monitor the grouting operation, the grouting process, and the radiological controls and wastes associated with grouting the Old Solvent Tanks.
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Creemers, Joris, Gilles Hermans, Virginie Schrayen, Frederik Van Wonterghem, An Wertelaers, and Manfred Schrauben. "Belgian Regulatory Framework for Decontamination and Decommissioning: Lessons Learned and New Initiatives." In ASME 2013 15th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/icem2013-96305.
Full textAbstract:
Belgium can rely on significant experience in the field of decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. Several projects are ongoing and include research reactors (BR3, Thetis), uranium and MOX fuel fabrication plants (FBFC International, Belgonucleaire), fuel reprocessing facilities (Eurochemic) and radwaste processing facilities (Belgoprocess). Additional projects are expected in the coming years with the planned final shutdown of the oldest nuclear power reactor units. Two national authorities are involved in the decontamination and decommissioning process of nuclear facilities. The FANC (together with its subsidiary Bel V) is concerned for all matters related to nuclear safety and radiation protection, while NIRAS/ONDRAF is concerned for all matters related to radioactive waste and fuel management and financial provisions. These attributions ensure that all safety and material concerns are addressed and that both the licensees and the national authorities bear their own responsibilities. They rely on an existing regulatory framework covering both the procedural and the technical aspects of the decontamination and decommissioning activities. However, opportunities for regulatory improvement were raised after some recent events in Belgium, among which the bankruptcy of a nuclear company producing radioisotopes, involving numerous additional interested parties in a complex judiciary context. Amendments in the current regulations are considered to increase the prerogatives of the authorities regarding the management of radioactive waste by a licensee, the transfer of an operating license from an operator to another, and the general decommissioning strategy of a facility. Furthermore, a dedicated “waste and decommissioning” working group within WENRA defined new reference levels applying to the decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. Belgium committed to include these requirements explicitly in its national legislation, even though most of them were already included in the existing decommissioning authorizations. Amendments will cover the safety provisions inherent to the decontamination and decommissioning phase, such as the decommissioning strategy, the qualification of techniques, the experience feedback valorization, the periodic safety reviews, the radioactive waste management, or the final characterization of the sites. Additionally, requirements regarding the authorization process will be detailed, such as the content of the licensee’s application file or the structure of the safety report covering the decontamination and decommissioning phase. These changes will contribute to a more secure regulatory framework for all interested parties.
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Ciotti, Marco, Jorge L. Manzano, Vladimir Kuznetsov, Galina Fesenko, Luisa Ferroni, and Fabio Giannetti. "Scenario Analysis on the Benefits of Multi-National Cooperation for the Development of a Common Nuclear Energy System Based on PWR and LFR Fleets." In 2014 22nd International Conference on Nuclear Engineering. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/icone22-31012.
Full textAbstract:
Financial aspects, environmental concerns and non-favorable public opinion are strongly conditioning the deployment of new Nuclear Energy Systems across Europe. Nevertheless, new possibilities are emerging to render competitive electricity from Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) owing to two factors: the first one, which is the fast growth of High Voltage lines interconnecting the European countries’ national electrical grids, this process being triggered by huge increase of the installed intermittent renewable electricity sources (Wind and PV); and the second one, determined by the carbon-free constraints imposed on the base load electricity generation. The countries that due to public opinion pressure can’t build new NPPs on their territory may find it profitable to produce base load nuclear electricity abroad, even at long distances, in order to comply with the European dispositions on the limitation of the CO2 emissions. In this study the benefits from operating at multinational level with the deployment of a fleet of PWRs and subsequently, at a proper time, the one of Lead Fast Reactors (LFRs) are analyzed. The analysis performed involves Italy (a country with a current moratorium on nuclear power on spite that its biggest utility operates NPPs abroad), and the countries from South East and Central East Europe potentially looking for introduction or expansion of their nuclear power programmes. According to the predicted evolution of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) a forecast of the electricity consumption evolution for the present century is derived with the assumption that a certain fraction of it will be covered by nuclear electricity. In this context, evaluated are material balances for the front and the back end of nuclear fuel cycle associated with the installed nuclear capacity. A key element of the analysis is the particular type of LFR assumed in the scenario, characterized by having a fuel cycle where only fission products and the reprocessing losses are sent for disposition and natural or depleted uranium is added to fuel in each reprocessing cycle. Such LFR could be referred to as “adiabatic reactor”. Owing to introduction of such reactors a substantive reduction in uranium consumption and final disposal requirements can be achieved. Finally, the impacts of the LFR and the economy of scale in nuclear fuel cycle on the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) are being evaluated, for scaling up from a national to a multinational dimension, illustrating the benefits potentially achievable through cooperation among countries.
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Denton, Mark S., and Mercouri G. Kanatzidis. "Innovative Highly Selective Removal of Cesium and Strontium Utilizing a Newly Developed Class of Inorganic Ion Specific Media." In ASME 2009 12th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management. ASMEDC, 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/icem2009-16221.
Full textAbstract:
Highly selective removal of Cesium and Strontium is critical for waste treatment and environmental remediation. Cesium-137 is a beta-gamma emitter and Strontium-90 is a beta emitter with respective half-lives of 30 and 29 years. Both elements are present at many nuclear sites. Cesium and Strontium can be found in wastewaters at Washington State’s Hanford Site, as well as in wastestreams of many Magnox reactor sites. Cesium and Strontium are found in the Reactor Coolant System of light water reactors at nuclear power plants. Both elements are also found in spent nuclear fuel and in high-level waste (HLW) at DOE sites. Cesium and Strontium are further major contributors to the activity and the heat load. Therefore, technologies to extract Cesium and Strontium are critical for environmental remediation waste treatment and dose minimization. Radionuclides such as Cesium-137 and Strontium-90 are key drivers of liquid waste classification at light water reactors and within the DOE tank farm complexes. The treatment, storage, and disposal of these wastes represents a major cost for nuclear power plant operators, and comprises one of the most challenging technology-driven projects for the DOE Environmental Management (EM) program. Extraction technologies to remove Cesium and Strontium have been an active field of research. Four notable extraction technologies have been developed so far for HLW: solvent extraction, prussian blue, crystalline silicotitanate (CST) and organic ion-exchangers (e.g., resorcinol formaldehyde and SuperLig). The use of one technology over another depends on the specific application. For example, the waste treatment plant (WTP) at Hanford is planning on using a highly-selective organic ion-exchange resin to remove Cesium and Strontium. Such organic ion-exchangers use molecular recognition to selectively bind to Cesium and Strontium. However, these organic ion-exchangers are synthesized using multi-step organic synthesis. The associated cost to synthesize organic ion-exchangers is prohibitive and seriously limits the scope of applications for organic ion-exchangers. Further issues include resin swelling, potential hydrogen generation and precluding final disposal by vitrification without further issues. An alternative to these issues of organic ion-exchangers is emerging. Inorganic ion-exchangers offer a superior chemical, thermal and radiation stability which is simply not achievable with organic compounds. They can be used to remove both Cesium as well as Strontium with a high level of selectivity under a broad pH range. Inorganic ion-exchangers can operate at acidic pH where protons inhibit ion exchange in alternative technologies such as CST. They can also be used at high pH which is typically found in conditions present in many nuclear waste types. For example, inorganic ion-exchangers have shown significant Strontium uptake from pH 1.9 to 14. In contrast to organic ion-exchangers, inorganic ion-exchangers are not synthesized via complex multi-step organic synthesis. Therefore, inorganic ion-exchangers are substantially more cost-effective when compared to organic ion-exchangers as well as CST. Selective removal of specified isotopes through ion exchange is a common and proven treatment method for liquid waste, yet various aspects of existing technologies leave room for improvement with respect to both cost and effectiveness. We demonstrate a novel class of inorganic ion-exchangers for the selective removal of cesium and strontium (with future work planned for uranium removal), the first of a growing family of patent-pending, potentially elutable, and paramagnetic ion-exchange materials [1]. These highly selective inorganic ion-exchangers display strong chemical, thermal and radiation stability, and can be readily synthesized from low-cost materials, making them a promising alternative to organic ion-exchange resins and crystalline silicotitanate (CST). By nature, these inorganic media lend themselves more readily to volume reduction (VR) by vitrification without the issues faced with organic resins. In fact, with a simple melting of the KMS-1 media at 650–670 deg. C (i.e., well below the volatilization temperature of Cs, Sr, Mn, Fe, Sb, etc.), a VR of 4:1 was achieved. With true pyrolysis at higher temperatures or by vitrification, this VR would be much higher. The introduction of this new family of highly specific ion-exchange agents has potential to both reduce the cost of waste processing, and enable improved waste-classification management in both nuclear power plants (for the separation of Class A from B/C wastes) and DOE tank farms [for the separation of low level waste (LLW) from high level waste (HLW)]. In conclusion, we demonstrate for the first time a novel inorganic ion-exchanger for the selective removal of Cesium and Strontium. These inorganic ion-exchangers are chemical, thermal and radiation stable. These inorganic ion-exchangers can be synthesized in a cost-effective way which makes them significantly more effective than organic ion-exchange resin and CST. Finally, new thermal options are afforded for their final volume reduction, storage and disposal.