A method to estimate the concentration of elements in smoke from burning vegetation growing in contaminated soil
The Savannah River Site has areas where soil is contaminated with metals and/or radionuclides. Many of these areas are surrounded by native vegetation which is growing adjacent to the area and where the roots have penetrated into the contaminated soil of the area. In some cases vegetation has actually invaded the contaminated area. Even though the volume of contaminated vegetation is small, there are problems associated with its disposal. Vegetation decomposes quickly after burial and the volume of buried vegetation can decrease. The voids left can lead to subsidence and possible failure of the clay cap constructed over hazardous and/or radioactive waste burial grounds. An alternative to burying the wood is to burn it and bury the ash. However, burning will introduce the contamination in the vegetation into the air where there is potential for inhalation of the contaminants. A procedure is described to assess the hazard associated with inhalation of contamination from burning of vegetation growing in contaminated soil. The procedure is applied to evaluation of the consequence of burning vegetation grown adjacent to and in the SRL Seepage Basins. The results indicate that burning the vegetation during the day could introduce a level of contaminants to the atmosphere that could cause an exposure greater than the 1 mrem recommended as negligible by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements but lower than the US Department of Energy 100 mrem release guide. A scenario is also investigated where the largest volume of wood, associated with the least contaminated area, is burned. The air concentrations are significantly decreased by this strategy although the total dose commitment due to all radionuclides is still above the 1 mrem dose guide.
- Research Organization:
- Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-89SR18035
- OSTI ID:
- 5179310
- Report Number(s):
- WSRC-TR-91-109; ON: DE92013970
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
AIR
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
PLANTS
COMBUSTION
RADIOISOTOPES
QUANTITY RATIO
SMOKES
COMPILED DATA
EMISSION
INHALATION
RADIATION DOSES
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SOILS
UPTAKE
AEROSOLS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COLLOIDS
DATA
DISPERSIONS
DOSES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FLUIDS
GASES
INFORMATION
INTAKE
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDATION
RESIDUES
SOLS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
540130 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)