Electrokinetic Localization of Radioactive Nuclide Pollution

The presented schemes of screens are applicable at emergency sites and in other foci of radioactive pollution. 

Restoration of the protective properties of artificial sorption screens created on the ways of radioactive nuclide naigration from accumulating ponds is no less an important problem. Usually, clay soils with high sorption ability and containing such minerals as smectite and illite are applied for constructing such screens. In addition, artificial protective screens made of other disperse soils (from sand to loam) are applied the sorption ability of such soils is artificially enhanced beforehand with strengthening compoundssuch as oxalic silica-alumina gel. These compounds decrease the filtration ability of the screen and raise its sorption characteristics. 

However, the protective properties of such screens deteriorate with time, and the screens themselves accumulate considerable amount of radioactive nuclides. Application of electrokinetic technology is very efficient for restoring the protective properties of such screens. Its application can help not only raise the sorption properties of a protective screen but also clean it from accumulated radioactive nuclides without extracting the polluted ground. 

We performed special laboratory investigations for examining the possibility of restoring protective properties of a sand screen strengthened with oxalic silica- 

We found out that the Sr concentration decreased in a cleaned specimen from 3.5 to 1.2mg/g in the anode zone and increased to 4.4mg/g in the cathode zone (Fig. 5.3). In much the same way, the Cs concentration changed from 1.8 to 4.4mg/g in the same zones (Fig. 5.4). 

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