Tests of a system to exclude roots from buried radioactive waste in a warm, humid climate

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:5380804

Murphy, Jr, C E; Corey, J C ^[1]; Adriano, D C ^[2]; Decker, O D; Griggs, R D ^[3]

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1. Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
2. Savannah River Ecology Lab., Aiken, SC (United States)
3. Lilly Research Laboratories, Greenfield, IN (United States)

Vegetation is commonly used to stabilize the ground covering buried waste sites. However, constituents of buried waste can be brought to the surface if the waste is penetrated by plant roots. An ideal waste burial system would allow the use of vegetation to stabilize the soil above the buried waste but would exclude roots from the waste. One system that shows considerable promise is a slow release encapsulation of a root growth inhibitor (Trifluralin). Projected lifetimes of the capsule are in the order of 100 years. The capsule is bonded to a geotextile, which provides an easy means of distributing the capsule evenly over the area to be protected. Vegetation grown in the soil above the barrier has provided good ground cover, although some decrease in growth has been found in some species. Of the species tested the sensitivity to the biobarrier, as measured by the distance root growth stops near the barrier, is bamboo> bahia grass> bermuda grass> soybean. Potential uses for the biobarrier at the Savannah River Site (SRS) include the protection of clay caps over buried, low-level saltstone and protection of gravel drains and clay caps over decommissioned seepage basins. Trails of the biobarrier as part of waste site caps are scheduled to begin during the next 12 months.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035; AC09-76SR00001
• OSTI ID: 5380804
• Report Number(s): WSRC-RP-89-16; CONF-890854--16; ON: DE92011178
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
CLIMATES
GROUND COVER
MANAGEMENT
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
PLANTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
ROOTS
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
STORAGE
UNDERGROUND STORAGE
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT