| Research Area: | Nuclear Hazards and Risks |
|---|---|
| Researcher: | GAU-Radioanalytical, University of Southampton |
| Partners: | National Nuclear Laboratory |
| Funders: | Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Bursary |
The Challenge
Decades of leaks have contaminated parts of the Separation Area at Sellafield with a mixture of anthropogenic radionuclides. The more mobile of these radionuclides (HTO, Sr and Tc) have polluted the groundwater aquifer under the site and are migrating towards the Irish Sea.
In many non-nuclear sites in-situ sorbent materials in the form of permeable reactive barriers have been successfully used to treat polluted groundwater. These barriers provide an engineered zone that immobilises contaminants from groundwater flowing through it.