Radionuclide release and transport from nuclear underground tests performed at Mururoa and Fangataufa — predictions under uncertainty

In the context of a study by the International Geomechanical Commission (IGC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the effects of nuclear tests at the atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa, release to the biosphere is estimated for 35 radionuclides originating from 147 nuclear underground tests. Based on a qualitatively characterised hydrogeological situation of atolls and relatively scarce site-specific data, a model chain was developed to conservatively estimate the radionuclide fluxes via groundwater, from their sources, the explosion cavities, towards the biosphere, the ocean or lagoon.Finite element hydro-thermal modelling was used to describe water flow. Parameters were calibrated by a very few measured pre-test temperature profiles in bore holes. The impact of the tests on groundwater flow and mechanical impact on rock was considered. Estimates were made to quantify spatial extensions and temporal evolution of impact by using measurements on refilling rate of the cavities. Tests were categorised according to their specific yield and location although detailed data were missing. A base case parameter set was defined for the hydraulic conditions and for the initial radionuclide inventory of individual tests. Models were used to describe the concentration of radionuclides in the cavities as a function of time. Radionuclide transport from the cavities to the biosphere was represented by two different approaches: a double porosity model for the fractured volcanic rock and a single porosity model for the overlaying, highly porous carbonates. Results consist of conservative estimates on radionuclide release into the environment, or concentration in the lagoon or ocean water. Their sensitivity was investigated using different models and parameters. A few measured data (concentrations in a few cavities, in the deep carbonates and in the lagoons for selected radionuclides, such as ³H, ¹⁴C, ³⁶Cl, ⁹⁰Sr, ¹²⁹I, ¹³⁷Cs²³⁹, ²⁴⁰Pu and ²⁴¹Am) were available for a comparison with the calculations. In view of the lack and uncertainty of site-specific data, the agreement is of acceptable quality.     

ESTIMATING AQUIFER PARAMETERS FROM A HORIZONTAL WELL PUMPING TEST IN AN UNCONFINED AQUIFER1

ABSTRACT: A pumping test on a phreatic glacial till aquifer was performed near Ames, Iowa, in November 1990. The head in a horizontal well was pumped down rapidly and then held constant for the duration of the 30-hour test. Throughout the test, the flow rate at the pumped well and the head at an adjacent vertical observation well were recorded. The pumping test data were used to determine the hydraulic conductivity and specific yield of the aquifer. The results indicate a hydraulic conductivity of 2.23 × 10^?5 cm/s and a representative specific yield of 0.03. Hydraulic conductivity was calculated by a simple integration of Darcy's Law after extrapolating the data to steady state. Specific yield was determined by use of several methods from the literature and a new method proposed by the author. The results show that specific yield increases with time, and that each method is within an order of magnitude of the others.     

Interaction of silver nanoparticles with mediterranean agricultural soils: Lab-controlled adsorption and desorption studies

The production of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has increased tremendously during recent years due to their antibacterial and physicochemical properties. As a consequence, these particles are released inevitably into the environment, with soil being the main sink of disposal. Soil interactions have an effect on AgNP mobility, transport and bioavailability. To understand AgNP adsorption processes, lab-controlled kinetic studies were performed. Batch tests performed with five different Mediterranean agricultural soils showed that cation exchange capacity and electrical conductivity are the main parameters controlling the adsorption processes. The adsorption kinetics of different sized (40, 75, 100 and 200?nm) and coated (citrate, polyvinylpyrrolidone and polyethyleneglycol (PEG)) AgNPs indicated that these nanoparticle properties have also an effect on the adsorption processes. To assess the mobility and bioavailability of AgNPs and to determine if their form is maintained during adsorption/desorption processes, loaded soils were submitted to leaching tests three weeks after batch adsorption studies. The DIN 38414-S4 extraction method indicated that AgNPs were strongly retained on soils, and single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry confirmed that silver particles maintained their nanoform, except for 100?nm PEG-AgNPs and 40?nm citrate-coated AgNPs. The DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) leaching test was more effective in extracting silver, but there was no presence of AgNPs in almost all of these leachates.     

铀尾矿中不同形态铀释放的影响因素及其相关性

采用正交试验、连续提取法及主成分分析,研究了液固比、浸出时间、酸雨pH值、PO₄^3-、CO₃^2-、Ca²⁺和腐殖酸浓度对铀尾矿库内铀尾矿中不同形态铀释放的影响.结果表明：影响易迁移态铀释放的因素,按重要程度排序为：Ca²⁺>酸雨pH值>CO₃^2->腐殖酸>浸出时间>PO₄^3->液固比,前4个因素是主要影响因素,且CO₃^2-与酸雨pH值的相关性最强.影响潜在迁移态铀释放的因素,按重要程度排序为：Ca²⁺>液固比>浸出时间>CO₃^2->腐殖酸>酸雨pH值>PO₄^3-,前4个因素是主要影响因素,且PO₄^3-与酸雨pH值的相关性最强.影响稳定态铀释放的因素,按重要程度排序为：PO₄^3->腐殖酸>CO₃^2->酸雨pH值>液固比>Ca²⁺>浸出时间,前4个因素是主要影响因素,且PO₄^3-与CO₃^2-的相关性最强.     

城市污水厌氧氨氧化工艺的菌群分析与效能评估

厌氧氨氧化（Anammox）是一种高效低耗的新型生物脱氮技术,在城市污水处理中具有广阔的应用前景.在城市污水脱氮系统中,厌氧氨氧化菌（AnAOB）是否存在、丰度如何及Anammox脱氮效能如何,是进行Anammox评估的重要指标.本研究重点介绍了在生物脱氮系统中进行AnAOB菌种测定和菌群结构分析的分子生物学技术及Anammox脱氮贡献率的计算方法 .结果发现,对于AnAOB的菌种测定和菌群结构分析,可采用实时荧光定量聚合酶链锁反应（qPCR）、16S rRNA高通量测序和宏基因组测序等分子生物学技术;Anammox脱氮贡献率可通过物料衡算法和¹⁵N同位素示踪法计算.同时,对这些评估方法存在的一些局限性也进行了阐述.总体而言,如何科学、有效、全面地评估Anammox在生物脱氮系统中发挥的作用仍是一个需要长期探究的课题.但随着相关研究的不断深入,检测手段和分析方法也会得到不断优化,这将为Anammox工艺的理论研究及工程应用提供重要支持.     

Mechanical properties of Municipal Solid Waste by SDMT

In the paper the results of a geotechnical investigation carried on Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) materials retrieved from the “Cozzo Vuturo” landfill in the Enna area (Sicily, Italy) are reported and analyzed. Mechanical properties were determined both by in situ and laboratory large-scale one dimensional compression tests.While among in situ tests, Dilatomer Marchetti Tests (DMT) is used widely in measuring soil properties, the adoption of the DMT for the measurements of MSW properties has not often been documented in literature. To validate its applicability for the estimation of MSW properties, a comparison between the seismic dilatometer (SDMT) results and the waste properties evaluated by laboratory tests was carried out.Parameters for “fresh” and “degraded waste” have been evaluated. These preliminary results seems to be promising as concerns the assessment of the friction angle of waste and the evaluation of the S-wave in terms of shear wave velocity. Further studies are certainly required to obtain more representative values of the elastic parameters according to the SDMT measurements.     

工业发展与环境污染关系的区域差异分析--基于江苏省的实证研究

利用格兰杰因果关系检验（Granger causality tests）方法分析了江苏省处在不同发展阶段的三大区域的工业经济增长和环境污染之间双向作用关系。研究结果表明：经济发展水平越高,工业经济增长对环境污染的影响越明显,并且持续时间长,在某种程度上环境污染已经成为受工业经济增长影响的内生变量;江苏省三大区域环境污染都不是工业经济增长的原因,环境污染的加重并不能带来工业经济的增长,因此,在实践中靠牺牲环境来换取经济增长的理念是不可取的,＂先污染后治理＂的发展思路是不可行的。     

聚氨酯型固沙剂改性土室内试验研究

对自主研发的PUA、PUB和PUC 3种聚氨酯型固沙剂改性土的强度、抗冲刷性、抗风蚀性等性能进行了室内试验研究,并结合聚氨酯分子结构和功能对固沙剂改良原理进行了分析。试验结果表明:3种聚氨酯型固沙剂改性土的无侧限抗压强度、内聚力得到了提高,抗冲刷和抗风蚀性能得到了明显增强;3种固沙剂改性土的无侧限抗压强度和内聚力均随着固沙剂浓度的增加而增大;PUA、PUB和PUC浓度为3g/cm3的改性土试样的冲刷率分别只有4.4%、14.7%和0.6%,而参照样高达79.5%;PUA、PUB和PUC浓度达到1g/cm3以上的改性土风蚀后表面保持完整,没有风蚀破坏痕迹。因此,聚氨酯型固沙剂可以很好地增强土体粘聚力、促进表层固化、减少水土流失,可用于坡面防护、水土保持、防尘固沙、沙漠化治理等领域。     

应急救援多目标时限指派模型

为实现应急救援队伍的合理派遣,对应急救援队伍的救援效率、救援物资消耗、最佳救援时间等因素进行分析。突出应急救援的时效性和救援目标的多属性特征,提出在保证应急救援最短时限的前提下,以应急救援效率最大化、物资消耗最小化为优化目标,构建最短时限应急救援多目标指派模型。采用线性加权和法将多目标化为单目标决策问题,运用两阶段法对模型进行求解。数值计算结果表明:最短时限的引入能有效实现应急救援队伍合理、公平派遣。     

WAVE INDUCED FLOW AND TRANSPORT IN SEDIMENT BEDS1

ABSTRACT: The fate of contaminants in large water bodies is highly influenced by the transfer of flow and solutes across the water sediment interface. In this paper, an analytical model is presented where flow in both sediment bed and open channel is coupled at the interface through a boundary layer occupying the upper part of the sediment bed. The presence of this layer allows not only the capture of the inertia effects through a drag term in the generalized Darcy's equation, but also the specification of different soil parameters for the two porous zones. The flow is advective and driven by wave action along the water surface. The resulting system is solved for the pressure and flux in each sediment layer. The generated transport velocity fields are linked to a random walk simulation that is used to examine the trajectories of solute particles. Comparison of these trajectories against experimental tracer tests suggests a pattern very similar to the one attributed to the presence of surface mounds. The results clearly show the significance of the boundary layer and the drag term for soil with high permeability and the impact of both the thickness of the boundary layer and the length of the gravity wave relative to the depth of the water channel on the transport and exchange across the interface. The paper also examines the sensitivity of the mass exchange to the permeability of the two porous zones.