At sites around the world, including some DOE facilities, uranium has been released into the subsurface. Uranium has become dissolved in the groundwater and can migrate toward waterways. These sites are challenging to treat because uranium is spread over a large area deep below the ground. One possible remediation approach is with an in situ treatment method. This entails injecting a chemical into the contaminated area that makes uranium less soluble so that it does not migrate in groundwater, thus reducing the potential health hazard posed by the radionuclide.
Other researchers tested an in situ treatment method by injecting dissolved phosphate into the subsurface at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington. The intent was for the phosphate to react with uranium to create uranium-phosphate solids, insoluble phases that would not migrate.
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
