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污染的遗产。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该地点清理工作中面临的巨大挑战和螺旋式上升的成本，Sellafield Limited(被评为英国最危险的核设施)轰动了全国媒体/媒体。2012年，福岛第一核电站和周围的污染区域(650平方公里)最近也登上了国际新闻头条，东京电力公司证实，300吨高放射性和浓缩废水意外泄漏到太平洋。英国承诺建造一道耗资300 GB的冰墙，以防止地下水流经污染最严重的反应堆现场，但仍有大量受污染的地下水需要处理，土壤的净化(估计为60公吨)将产生更复杂的液体废物。英国核燃料投资30年供应天然沸石(斜发沸石)，以从燃料冷却池中去除水中的Cs+和Sr2+。然而，遗留和意外产生的废物更为复杂(例如，含盐废水、来自福岛的复杂且高度有机的土壤去污溶液；以及塞拉菲尔德地下水中较低的放射性核素浓度和较高的本底竞争离子)。沸石在这些条件下(如较低的吸附容量和/或低机械强度)效率低下，因此，需要新的创新技术来安全修复(清理)和捕获(锁定)这些复杂污染的水中的放射性核素。在复杂的化学条件下，微生物产生的快速产生的生物矿物具有比天然沸石和商业/实验室级材料更高的金属吸附能力/功能，这源于它们独特的形貌和纳米级的性质。例如，生物生成的羟基磷灰石材料(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(对所测试的放射性核素的质量分数高达30%)：在模拟地下水条件下，对抗高浓度竞争离子(0.1-2000 mmol/L，Na+，Cl-，Ca2+，Mg2+)和在广泛的pH条件下(3-9.5)；Bio-HA独特的纳米结构形态被证明是这些优势的基础。与商用材料相比，Bio-HA还被证明具有针对金属再动员的卓越稳定性、经济性和功能性，并且由于是生物材料，永远不会耗尽，也不需要从其他国家采购或进口(实现稳定供应和快速反应)。此外，我们还生产了一种新的Bio-CEP材料，它在Cs修复方面显示出巨大的前景。然而，这两种生物矿物还没有在污染场地的环境条件下作为可渗透的反应屏障或离子交换技术进行测试或应用。赠款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，特别是现在，在修复、退役、健康监测和现有核电站的剩余寿命预测方面。最近，伯明翰大学领导了一个政策委员会，研究英国核能的未来。这笔赠款还将得到国家核实验室和日本原子能机构的支持，以实现技术就绪级别4，在世界范围内迅速传播研究成果，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.