Dissertation
Quantification and Speciation of Iodine-129 in Hanford Tank Waste
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
01/2020
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/116865
Abstract
The Hanford site, located in Richland, WA, was utilized for plutonium production during World War II. During operation, 2 million m3 of waste were generated, much of which is still stored in tanks across 177 waste sites. These tanks have well exceeded their lifetimes of 25 years and many have leaked. These leaks have left a number of contaminants in the groundwater system, including iodine-129. Iodine-129 has a half-life of 15.7 million years and produces ionizing radiation that is hard to detect. It is extremely mobile in the aquifer and there is a concern for future drinking water contamination that can result in public health risks. Iodine naturally accumulates in the thyroid and the ionizing radiation produced by iodine-129 can result in tumor formation. Current and future risks can be assessed if iodine-129 is fully characterized in the tank waste. However, these tanks contain components from both production and reprocessing waste and the contents are largely unknown. This makes iodine quantification and characterization challenging. A series of projects were carried out to separate, quantify, and determine the speciation of iodine-129 in Hanford tank waste. These projects will mitigate the challenges of iodine-129 analysis and will aid in the risk determination and cleanup at the Hanford site.
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Details
- Title
- Quantification and Speciation of Iodine-129 in Hanford Tank Waste
- Creators
- Kirsten Alexis Adams
- Contributors
- Nathalie Wall (Advisor)Brian Clowers (Advisor)Samuel Morrison (Committee Member)Jane Estrada (Committee Member)Xiaofeng Guo (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Chemistry, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 357
- Identifiers
- 99900581498801842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation