Dounreay was involved in the groundbreaking research.
Dounreay has been involved in groundbreaking research that could lead to savings in nuclear decommissioning. The research was carried out by a team from Lancaster University – led by Professor Malcolm Joyce – and involved recording previously unmeasurable traces of plutonium in the soil to determine whether it came from local or global sources.
Soil samples from Dounreay as well as from one area close to the site and two remote areas were used as part of the work of the team, including Dr. Jeremy Andrew von Dounreay and others from ETH Zurich, a public research university in Switzerland.
Using accelerator mass spectrometry – one of the most sensitive methods of measuring plutonium – the researchers were able to determine whether or not traces of the radioactive element came from plutonium “grown” in a reactor or from global fallout.
By identifying the isotopic “fingerprint” of trace amounts of plutonium in the soil, which matched the isotopic fingerprint of the plutonium produced by a nuclear reactor, the research team was able to estimate the plutonium concentrations in soil that are due to reactor pollution and differentiate them from plutonium from global ones Swell.
The results, it said, could aid future “cleanup” operations at Dounreay and other Nuclear Decommissioning Agency sites, as well as on contaminated land near nuclear power plants, saving time and money. Areas with local pollution could be “specifically identified, targeted and then assessed for remediation if necessary”.
Dr. Andrew said there were samples that showed a global source and some that showed a local source, but all were in trace levels and consistent with concentrations at sites far from Dounreay. “This research shows the benefits of close collaboration between decommissioning sites and universities,” he added.
Dounreay CEO Mark Rouse described the research as “great work” when he presented a report at the recent virtual meeting of the Dounreay stakeholder group.
Tor Justad, chairman of Highlands Against Nuclear Transport, asked if the study was done because of concerns about the plutonium and its origins.
Mr. Rouse replied, “We’re not worried, but there was an opportunity to see if the origin of the tiny traces could be discovered.”
Tiny amounts of plutonium can be found in the environment through reactions with naturally occurring uranium in the soil and through human activities. The latter can be the result of sewage from nuclear power plants, reactor accidents, accidents with nuclear weapons and plutonium-powered space probes. They also occur worldwide through fallout from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests that took place between the 1950s and 1980s.
Professor Malcolm Joyce said, “Plutonium was originally extinct, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find it in the earth. By 1980, many nuclear weapons were tested in the atmosphere – this, along with other forms of pollution, resulted in traces of pollution levels.
“Our study showed that we measured what might be considered ‘immeasurable’ by distinguishing between two very different sources of trace amounts of plutonium, thus showing that it is possible to use this exceptionally low indicator of human activity to measure when we need it. “
Comments are closed.