GROUNDWATER REMEDIATION SOLUTIONS AT HANFORD
In 2006, Congress provided funding to the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) to study new technologies that could be used to treat contamination from the Hanford Site that might impact the Columbia River. The contaminants of concern are primarily metals and radionuclides, which are byproducts of Hanford’s cold war mission to produce plutonium for atomic weapons. The DOE asked Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to consider this problem and develop approaches to address the contamination that threatens the river. DOE identified three high priority sites that had groundwater contamination migrating towards the Columbia river for remediation. The contaminants included strontium-90, uranium and chromium. Remediation techniques for metals and radionuclides focus primarily on altering the oxidation state of the contaminant chemically or biologically, isolating the contaminants from the environment through adsorption or encapsulation or concentrating the contaminants for removal. A natural systems approach was taken that uses a mass balance concept to frame the problem and determine the most appropriate remedial approach. This approach provides for a scientifically based remedial decision. The technologies selected to address these contaminants included an apatite adsorption barrier coupled with a phytoremediation to address the strontium-90 contamination, injection of polyphosphate into the subsurface to sequester uranium, and a bioremediation approach to reduce chromium contamination in the groundwater. The ability to provide scientifically based approaches is in large part due to work developed under previous DOE Office of Science and Office of Environmental Management projects. For example, the polyphosphate and the bioremediation techniques, were developed by PNNL under the EMSP and NABIR programs. Contaminated groundwater under the Hanford Site poses a potential risk to humans and the Columbia River. These new technologies holds great promise for effectively remediating the residual waste that threatens the environment.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 960322
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-53502; 830403000; TRN: US0904373
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Waste management symposium 2007 : Global Accomplishments in Environmental and Radioactive Waste Management - Education and Opportunity for the next Generation of Waste Management Professionals: February 25-March 1, 2007, Tucson, Arizona
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Initial Site-wide Groundwater remediation Strategy of the Hanford Site, WA: Its Application, Lessons Learned and Future Path forward
Supplemental groundwater remediation technologies to protect the Columbia River at Hanford, WA
Related Subjects
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
ADSORPTION
APATITES
BIOREMEDIATION
CHROMIUM
COLUMBIA RIVER
CONTAMINATION
ENCAPSULATION
MASS BALANCE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
PLUTONIUM
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOISOTOPES
REMOVAL
STRONTIUM 90
URANIUM
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
groundwater remediation