Spanish LLW and MLW disposal: durability of cemented materials in (Na, K)Cl simulated radioactive liquid waste

The microstructural stability or durability of a specific backfilling pozzolanic-cement mortar, which is employed in Spain, in concrete containers for the storage of low level liquid wastes (LLW) and medium level liquid wastes (MLW), has been studied by means of the Koch-Steinegger test at the temperatures of 20 and 40 degrees C during a period of 365 days. Mortar samples were immersed in salt solutions of 3.46 M NaCl and 3.46 M KCl to simulate the salinity of some radioactive liquid waste matrices. The resistance of the mortar to the saline solution attack is evaluated by the development of the relative flexural strength. The changes of the microstructure were followed by mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Pore solution was extracted and analyzed at different periods of time to know the possible diffusion of sodium, chloride and potassium inside the microstructure.     

Actinide analysis of a depleted uranium penetrator from a 1999 target site in southern Serbia

Following the detection of 236U in depleted uranium (DU) ammunition used during the Balkans conflict in the 1990s, concern has been expressed about the possibility that other nuclides from the nuclear fuel cycle and, in particular, transuranium nuclides, might be present in this type of ammunition. In this paper, we report the results of uranium and plutonium analyses carried out on a depleted uranium penetrator recovered from a target site in southern Serbia. Our data show the depleted nature of the uranium and confirm the presence of trace amounts of plutonium in the penetrator. The activity concentration of (239+240)PU, at 45.4+/-0.7 Bq kg(-1), is the highest reported to date for any penetrator recovered from the Balkans. This concentration, however, is comparable to that expected to be present naturally in uranium ores and, from a radiological perspective, would only give rise to a very small increase in dose to exposed persons compared to that from the DU itself.     

Distribution of arsenic compounds in Plantaginaceae and Cyperaceae plants growing in contaminated soil

The ability of plant species to accumulate arsenic (As) species in the biomass from As-contaminated soils is variable. Among the plants widely grown at the As-contaminated locations, Plantaginaceae and Cyperaceae families belong to the frequent ones. In this study, the ability of Plantago lanceolata (Plantaginaceae) and three wetland plant species representing the family Cyperaceae (Carex praecox, Carex vesicaria, and Scirpus sylvaticus) naturally occurring in the soils with an elevated As in the Czech Republic were investigated. The plants were cultivated under controlled conditions in an As-contaminated soil reaching 735?mg?kg^?1 of the total As. The total As in plants reached up to 8.3?mg?kg^?1 in leaves, and up to 155?mg?kg^?1 in roots of C. praecox. Dominant As compounds were arsenite and arsenate with a small abundance of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in all the plant species. In Cyperaceae, small percentages of arsenobetaine (AB) and arsenocholine (AC) were detected, suggesting the ability of these plants to transform As into less toxic compounds. Moreover, the important role of As(V) sequestration on iron plaque on the root surface of Cyperaceae was confirmed. In this context, root washing with oxalic acid partially disrupted the iron plaque for the better release of arsenate.     

Characterization of phosphorus species and modeling for its organic forms in eutrophic shallow lake sediments,North China

Variations of phosphorus （P） and its species in surface sediment of Baiyangdian Lake, a eutrophic shallow lake located in North China, were investigated through combination of field survey and numerical calculation based on cluster analysis. P fractionation was performed by a sequential extraction scheme, categorized as loosely bound P （NH4Cl-P）, reductant soluble P （BD-P）, metallic oxide bound P （NaOH-P）, calcium bound P （HCl-P） and organic P （Org-P）. P concentrations exhibited regional similarities and a total of four sub-areas were identified in which the same rank was HCl-P 〉 Org-P 〉 BD-P ,=NaOH-P 〉NH4Cl-E NH4Cl-P, BD-P and Org-P were found to contribute to P enrichment in overlying water column. Specifically, labile Org-P acted as a potential pool with a greater contribution in aerobic layer compared to anaerobic layer. A hysteresis （lag = 4 months） existed when labile Org-P concentration was negatively correlated with aerobic layer thickness. In view of magnitude of identified P contributors in sub-areas, higher potential of P release was present in Fuhe River and Tang River estuary areas. On the basis of calibration and verification, the mathematical model with parameter settings applied in this study was improved to serve as a tool for limnology management and eutrophic control.     

Persistent organochlorine contaminants in human tissues of the Czech and Slovak populations

The persistence of lipophilic organochlorine substances leads to their incorporation into the food chain and subsequent uptake by humans. Due to their use in the past, Czech and Slovak countries belong to the countries with a relatively high body burden of organochlorines. Levels of PCBs in human tissues based on the congener‐specific analysis are reported in this paper. Samples were analysed for the most abundant PCB congeners. Prevalent persistent organochlorine pesticides and their isomers/metabolites have also been included. The present study is focused on following areas: i) distribution of analysed substances in the various human tissue samples from selected regions of the Czech and Slovak Republic and ii) comparison with the results from other foreign and local studies.     

北京冬季大气中多溴联苯醚的污染水平和分布特征

2010年11月至2011年2月利用聚氨酯泡沫(PUF)大气被动采样技术采集了北京市海淀、朝阳、丰台、石景山、昌平、大兴、通州等区域的大气样品,采用高分辨气相色谱/高分辨质谱联用法(HRGC/HRMS)分析了其中13种多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)同族体的污染浓度和分布特征.结果表明,北京大气中PBDEs总含量(Σ13PBDEs)为0.97~41.1pg/m3,平均值为7.85pg/m3.在区域分布规律方面呈现东南地区的采样点污染物浓度明显高于西北地区,工业地区和人口密集的商业地区明显高于郊区和背景对照区的分布特征.     

The Environmental Capacity Approach to the Control of Marine Pollution: The Case of Copper in the Krka River Estuary

Changes in soil pH, soil heavy metal forms, and the metabolic diversity of microbial communities were examined in soil samples collected in 1-mm increments from barley roots in soil contaminated with cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) using a rhizobox system. Concentrations of exchangeable Cd and Zn increased near the roots owing to a decrease in soil pH. Conversely, the concentration of inorganically bound Cd and Zn decreased near the roots. Despite having the highest concentration of the most toxic exchangeable metals, the rhizosphere also had the highest bacterial and fungal metabolic activity and diversity when assessed using BIOLOG plates. Therefore, the promoting effects of root exudates on microbial activity could outweigh the adverse effects of Cd and Zn on microorganisms in the rhizosphere.     

Worldviews,institutions and sustainability: An introduction to a co-evolutionary perspective

This work analyzes hierarchical and causal relationship between worldview, institutions, technology and economic behaviour under conditions of informational uncertainty.

In our pursuit of sustainable living, institutions function both as constraints and as primary instruments of change of socio-economic behaviour. The process of radical institutional change is contingent upon prior change in the dominant worldview, while its dynamics resembles that of a paradigm change in political and scientific arenas. Therefore, the timely and adaptive outcome of institutional change with respect to global environmental problems remains intrinsically uncertain.     

改性壳聚糖混凝去除太湖藻研究

对太湖不同区域的水使用改性壳聚糖做混凝除藻实验。对于泵取水,投加量0.7 mg/L时,藻去除率可达89.6%,对于岸边高浓藻水,投加量4 mg/L,0.5 h内藻去除率即可达为85.77%。改性壳聚糖复配黏土可解决岸边高浓藻絮体的上浮问题,黏土投加0.8 g/L絮体可完全下沉,除藻率fe从85.77%提升到94.35%。但复配黏土造成UV254去除率下降。改性壳聚糖复配0.3 g/L PDMDAAC改性粉煤灰投加或复配0.4 g/L改性沸石时,絮体也可完全下沉,除藻率都可提升到98%以上。同时,两种药剂都加强了系统对有机物的去除,UV254去除率从56.94%提升到72%以上。     

Uncertainty analysis in the nuclear industry: Analytical unavailability modelling incorporating ageing of safety components

There is a growing interest in analyzing the possibility for current nuclear power plants operation extension. In that sense, life management programs, considering safety components ageing, are being developed and employed. On the other side, the large uncertainties of the ageing parameters as well as the uncertainties associated with most of the reliability data collections are widely acknowledged.This paper deals with uncertainty analysis associated with specific ageing rates database. The analysis is conducted using an analytical unavailability model applied for a selected safety system in a nuclear power plant. The most important problem is the immense uncertainty associated to the component ageing data sets as well as the lack of the very data in general, which would correspond to the more detailed modelling of ageing.New probability distributions, encompassing the ageing rates available in the considered data set, are suggested. The obtained results indicate the extent to which the uncertainty of the considered ageing data set, given the inherently assigned probability distribution, influences the performed unavailability calculations. Additionally, comparative analysis regarding the insights gained out of the application of the suggested probability distributions is conducted.