Biogenic metal phosphates: Low cost, high capacity, stable 'lockups' for the removal of radionuclides from groundwater and decontamination solutions

自1940年代以来，核武器和能源方案的发展在全世界造成了核废料和核污染的遗留问题。2012年，国家审计署的一份报告强调了英国核退役管理局在推进清理工作方面面临的巨大挑战和不断上升的成本，塞拉菲尔德有限公司（被评为英国最危险的核电站）引起了全国新闻界/媒体的关注。该网站的清理。2012年，福岛第一核电站及周边污染区（650平方公里）最近也成为国际新闻头条，因为东京电力公司证实，300吨高放射性浓缩废水意外排入太平洋。一堵耗资3亿英镑的冰墙已承诺阻止地下水流经污染最严重的反应堆，但仍有大量受污染的地下水需要处理和土壤净化。英国核燃料公司投资了30年的天然沸石供应，（斜发沸石）从燃料冷却池中去除含水Cs+和Sr 2+。然而，遗留废物和意外废物更为复杂（例如含盐废水、来自福岛的复杂和高有机土壤去污溶液;以及塞拉菲尔德地下水中较低的放射性核素浓度和高背景竞争离子）。在这些条件下，Zealand效率低下（例如，较低的吸附能力和/或低的机械强度），因此，需要新的创新技术来安全地修复（清除）和捕获（锁定）这些复杂污染的沃茨中的放射性核素。快速生产的生物矿物与天然沸石和市售/实验室级材料相比具有高的金属吸附能力/功能，这是由于它们独特的形态和纳米级性质。例如，生物羟基磷灰石材料（HA质量是产生它的细菌质量的十倍以上）具有持久的放射性核素吸附能力（对于检测的放射性核素，最高30%重量：模拟地下水条件下的锕系元素（U，Am），Sr和Co，对抗高浓度竞争离子（0.1-2000 mmol/L Na+、Cl-、Ca 2+、Mg 2+）和在宽范围的pH条件下（3-9.5）; Bio-HA的特定纳米结构形态显示出这些优点的基础。与市售材料相比，Bio-HA还证明了其对金属再动员的上级稳定性、经济性和功能性，并且生物源性永远不会耗尽或需要从其他国家采购或进口（能够稳定供应和快速响应）。此外，我们已经生产出一种新的生物CeP材料，显示出很大的前景铯修复。然而，这两种生物矿物还没有被测试或应用为可渗透的反应屏障或离子交换技术，使用污染场地发现的环境条件。该资助将在伯明翰大学举行，该大学在核研究方面的记录可以追溯到20世纪50年代，（具体来说，现在，在补救，退役，健康监测和现有核电站的剩余寿命预测），最近领导了一个政策委员会，探讨英国核能的未来。该赠款还将得到国家核实验室和日本原子能管理局的支持，以实现技术准备水平四级，研究成果在全球范围内快速传播，并增加社会影响。

The development of nuclear weapons and energy programmes since the 1940s have created a legacy of nuclear waste and contamination worldwide. In 2012, Sellafield Limited (named as the most hazardous nuclear site in the UK) hit the national press/media when a report by the National Audit Office highlighted the considerable challenges and spiralling costs faced by the UKs Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in taking forward the cleanup of this site. In 2012, the Fukushima Daiichi power plant and surrounding contaminated area (650 km2) also recently hit international news headlines when Tokyo Electric Power Company confirmed the accidental release of 300 tonnes of highly radioactive and concentrated waste water into the Pacific Ocean. An ice wall costing £300m has been pledged to prevent groundwater flow through the most contaminated reactor site but there are still plumes of contaminated groundwater that need to be treated and the decontamination of soil (estimated at 60 Mt) will produce even more complex liquid waste.British Nuclear Fuels invested in 30 years supply of naturally occurring zeolites (clinoptilolite) to remove aqueous Cs+ and Sr2+ from fuel cooling ponds. However, legacy and accidental waste is more complex (e.g. saline wastewater, complex and high organic soil decontamination solutions from Fukushima; and lower radionuclides concentrations and high background competing ions in Sellafield groundwater). Zeolites are inefficient under these conditions (e.g. lower sorption capacity and/or low mechanical strength), therefore, new innovative technologies are required for the safe remediation (cleanup) and entrapment (lockup) of radionuclides from these complex contaminated waters.Under complex chemical conditions, microbially-generated, rapidly produced biominerals have high metal adsorption capacity/functionality compared to natural zeolites and commercially available/laboratory grade materials, arising from their unique morphology and nanoscale properties. For example, biogenic hydroxyapatite materials (HA mass more than ten times the mass of the bacteria that produced it) have durable radionuclide adsorption capacity (up to 30 %wt for radionuclides tested: Actinides (U, Am), Sr and Co under simulated groundwater conditions, against high concentrations of competing ions (0.1-2000 mmol/L Na+, Cl-, Ca2+, Mg2+) and at wide ranging pH conditions (3-9.5); the specific nanostructured morphology of Bio-HA was shown to underlie these advantages. Bio-HA also has proven superior stability against metal remobilisation, economics, & function as compared to commercially available materials and, being biogenic will never run out or require procurement or import from other countries (enabling stable-supply and rapid-response). Additionally we have produced a new Bio-CeP material that shows great promise for Cs remediation. However, both biominerals have not been tested or applied as a permeable reactive barrier or ion exchange technology using environmental conditions found at contaminated sites.The grant will be held at the University of Birmingham, which has an established track record in nuclear research dating back to 1950s, (specifically, nowadays, in remediation, decommissioning, health monitoring and residual life prediction for existing nuclear power stations) and recently led a Policy Commission into the future of nuclear energy in the UK. The grant will also be supported by the National Nuclear Laboratory and the Japanese Atomic Energy Authority enabling the achievement of technology readiness level four, rapid worldwide dissemination of research outcomes and increased societal impact.