Temporal evolution of radionuclides in sludge from wastewater treatment plants

Camacho, A.; Montaña, M.; Vallés, I.; Devesa, R.; Céspedes-Sánchez, Raquel; Serrano, Isabel

doi:10.1007/s10967-012-1977-6

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This suggests that the increased presence of uranium series radionuclides may be due to an association with iron compounds, as observed in other matrix types [15,16,30]. The 40 K activity concentrations were also consistent with other studies, ranging from 136 Bq kg −1 to 497 Bq kg −1 [4,8]. The present results did not indicate the presence of 137 Cs or 131 I, isotopes typically found in such residues [10,12].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Additionally, studies on recycled metal waste from end-of-life vehicles (ELVM) showed the presence of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides ( 137 Cs) at ambient levels [7]. However, the wastes that have been most extensively studied have been sewage treatment plant sludge (STPS) [8]. Sewage sludge can contain both naturally occurring radionuclides [9] and anthropogenic radionuclides such as 137 Cs [10], although 131 I and other radionuclides from hospitals ( 99m Tc, 123 I, 67 Ga, and 201 Tl) are the more common radionuclides and most studies focus mainly on them [11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

An Evaluation of the Radioactive Content of Ashes Obtained from the Use of Fuels from Recycled Materials by Co-Processing in the Cement Industry

Suarez-Navarro,

Sanjuán,

Mora

et al. 2024

Materials

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The co-processing of different wastes as fuels in the manufacture of cement clinker not only meets the objectives of a circular economy but also contributes to the reduction in CO2 emissions in the manufacture of Portland cement. However, waste used as alternative fuels, such as sludge or organic-rich residues, may contain naturally occurring radionuclides that can be concentrated during the combustion process. In this study, the presence of natural radionuclides (radioactive series of uranium, thorium, and 40K) and anthropogenic radionuclides (137Cs) in these wastes has been investigated by gamma spectrometry. Possible relationships between the radioactive content and the obtained chemical composition, determined by X-ray fluorescence, have also been studied by applying a principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed that the wastes with the highest radioactive content were sewage sludge with activity concentrations of 238U and 210Pb of 321 ± 38 Bq kg−1 and 110 ± 14 Bq kg−1, respectively. A correlation between radioactive content and Fe2O3 concentration was also observed. The annual effective dose rates to workers for the ashes estimated from the ash content ranged from 0.0033 mSv to 0.092 mSv and therefore do not pose a risk to workers as they are lower than the 1 mSv per year limit for the general public (DIRECTIVE 2013/59/EURATOM).

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Evaluation of the Radioactive Content of Ashes Obtained from the Use of Fuels from Recycled Materials by Co-Processing in the Cement Industry

Suarez-Navarro,

Sanjuán,

Mora

et al. 2024

Materials

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It should be highlighted that the study constitutes one of a limited number of publications investigating temporally based sampling to access the behavior of natural radionuclides in WWTP's. Chapter 5 also includes the seasonal study in sludge samples collected, in this case, in three Spanish WWTPs and the results were published in the Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry (Camacho, Montaña et al, 2013). Finally, on the occasion of the international research stay made in the Radiochemistry Unit at Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (USA), a preliminary study of a municipal conventional full scale WWTP located in Midwest of the United States (Waukesha-Wisconsin) is also included in this chapter.…”

Section: Thesis Contributions and Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…ix Chapter 6 provides an evaluation of the radiological hazards associated with natural radionuclides taking into account the main uses of the sludge generated in the water treatment plants previously studied in Chapters 5 and 6, as well as their evaluation as a NORM. Part of these results were published in the Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry (Camacho, Montaña et al, 2013). This part of the Thesis was partially done within the framework of the project SOSTAQUA (CEN2007-1039) led by Aguas de Barcelona and funded by the CDTI (Center for the Development of Industrial) and the framework of a four-month internship at Radiochemistry Unit at Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH), USA.…”

Section: Thesis Contributions and Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In sludge samples from DWTP-1, DWTP-2, WWTP-1, WWTP-2 and WWTP-3, the radiological hazard effects were evaluated taking into account both maximum and mean activity values obtained from the temporal evolution studies (Sections 4.5 and 5.4.4). Part of this study was published in the Journal of Radioanalitical Nuclear Chemistry (Camacho et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Optimization of alpha emitter's determination in water. Behavior of radionuclides in water treatment plants

Montaña Guerra

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

La determinació de l’índex alfa total en aigües és d’interès per ser un dels paràmetres inclòs en la legislació nacional e internacional associada a la qualitat de l’aigua per al consum humà. Aquest índex informa de la concentració d’emissors alfa continguts en l’aigua referits a un patró emissor alfa. Concretament en el nostre país, el control de la qualitat de l’aigua està regulat pel Reial Decret 140/2003. La determinació de l’índex d’alfa total en aigües és un assaig aparentment senzill, però a conseqüència de la variabilitat isotòpica que pot presentar una aigua i els procediments utilitzats, es poden obtenir resultats molt diferents, inclús en ordres de magnitud. A més a més, en certs casos el valor de l’índex alfa total no concorda amb el valor obtingut al sumar les activitats dels emissors alfa determinats en la mostra d’aigua. Per tot això es considera necessari dur a terme un estudi experimental, en el qual es determinin tots els possibles factors que influeixin en la variabilitat dels resultats i realitzar un procediment suficientment detallat en el qual s’estableixi tant l’ interval de validació com les condicions més adequades d’utilització, de forma que es pugui garantir que el resultat que s’obté sigui el més representatiu possible i que aquesta variabilitat romanent es tingui en compte en la determinació de la incertesa associable al resultat. Per una altra banda, a causa de la gran importància de l’aigua i les cada cop més exigents disposicions legals en quant a la depuració d’aigües residuals i tractament d’aigua potable, la construcció d’estacions de tractaments han anat incrementant notablement en els últims anys en un gran nombre de països. Com a conseqüència, grans quantitats de residus sòlids o llots son generats cada any com a subproducte d’aquestes plantes de tractament, per als quals s’apliquen diferents alternatives d’aprofitament i eliminació. Durant els processos habituals de tractament per a l’obtenció d’aigua potable i de depuració d’aigua residual, els isòtops radioactius es poden distribuir en les diferents etapes dels cicles de tractament, com les resines d’intercanvi, carbó actiu, filtres, membranes, materials absorbents i finalment en els subproductes produïts (fangs o llots), on es pot concentrar-se un percentatge elevat d’isòtops radioactius. Les aigües més afectades per la radioactivitat natural son les aigües d’aqüífers subterranis, ja que els processos de circulació lenta afavoreixen la seva incorporació. Els isòtops presents generalment a les aigües són els isòtops naturals d’Urani i Radi, 210Pb, 210Po, 222Rn i el 40K. També existeix la possibilitat de contaminació amb isòtops d’origen artificial que provenen de la indústria nuclear i de les probes nuclears. Per tant es considera d’interès realitzar un estudi detallat de la distribució dels isòtops radioactius en les diferents fases dels processos de potabilització i depuració convencionals o amb nous mètodes i en els subproductes generats per tal de poder valorar el possible impacte radiològic associat a la potabilització i reutilització de les aigües i dels subproductes. Gross alpha activity measurement is one of the simplest radioanalytical procedures which are widely applied as screening techniques in the fields of radioecology, environmental monitoring and industrial applications. It is used as the first step to perform a radiological characterization of drinking water. According to the WHO guidelines (2011), this screening parameter must be measured in drinking water to ensure that it is safe for consumption. Different methods are used to measure gross alpha activity. Two of them, the classic ones, are based on evaporation (EPA, 1980) or co-precipitation (EPA, 1984) of the sample, using either a gas proportional counter or a solid scintillator detector. Another alternative method based on concentration of the sample and measurement by liquid scintillation counting (ASTM, 1996), is being increasingly used. The gross alpha activity of a water sample is an estimate of the actual alpha activity of the water sample (excluding radon). However, it is usually considered that gross alpha activity must be very close to the sum of alpha emitter activities, though in general this is not the case. There are many other factors (e.g., alpha particle energies, calibration standard used, time elapsed from sample preparation to measurement and variability of the results between methods) that affect the gross alpha measurement causing major differences between the gross alpha activity values and the sum of the activities of the main alpha emitters. For this reason, we propose to conduct an eminently experimental study to determine most of the possible factors that may be involved in the above mentioned variability of the results. In addition, we intend to propose a detailed procedure on that basis to establish both their range of validity and the most suitable conditions for their use, thereby ensuring: (A) that the result obtained is the most representative of the sample's real total alpha activity; (B) that it is subject to the lowest technically possible variability; and (C) that this remaining variability is taken into account in determining the uncertainty associated with the result. In this context, we propose to study these aforementioned considerations using the co-precipitation method. Aditionally, given the problems with the scarcity and quality of water, the implementation of water treatment plants has been significantly increasing over the last years in several countries. Consequently, large quantities of solid wastes or sludge are generated every year which can be re-used for different applications. These solid wastes may contain all kind of pollutants, including significant levels of radioactivity. For these reasons, it is considered important studying the occurrence and behavior of radioactivity in water treatment plants. Although radioactivity in water treatment plants has been studied by some authors, we propose an original work analyzing the radioactive temporal evolution in different water treatment plants in which drinking and wastewater are treated. These plants have been selected taking into account both variations in water source and the treatment applied. This thesis contributes to these goals by analyzing the factors that affect the gross alpha measurement, involving an optimization and validation of the co-precipitation method and studying the behavior of radionuclides in water treatment plants. To this end, Part I provides a comprehensive analysis for the optimization and validation of the gross alpha activity determination using the co-precipitation method. Then, in Part II, we present a set of case studies related to the radionuclide behavior and the temporal evolution of the radioactivity in different drinking water and wastewater treatment plants.

show abstract

Metabolic and biochemical changes caused by gamma irradiation in plants

Ahuja

Kumar

et al. 2014

J Radioanal Nucl Chem

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Temporal evolution of radionuclides in sludge from wastewater treatment plants

Cited by 8 publications

References 19 publications

An Evaluation of the Radioactive Content of Ashes Obtained from the Use of Fuels from Recycled Materials by Co-Processing in the Cement Industry

An Evaluation of the Radioactive Content of Ashes Obtained from the Use of Fuels from Recycled Materials by Co-Processing in the Cement Industry

Optimization of alpha emitter's determination in water. Behavior of radionuclides in water treatment plants

Metabolic and biochemical changes caused by gamma irradiation in plants

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About