Legacy Ponds and Silo Wastes

This PhD-level project will focus on the atomistic modelling of storage pond liquor in the immediate aftermath of sludge disturbance.

Under these conditions, sequestered radionuclides including Pu, Am, Cs, and Sr are likely to be released into the immediate aqueous environment, along with other particulate matter from the sludge. The simulations will be used to investigate the dominant interactions undergone by radionuclides in this environment, including absorption on brucite, artinite and other hydrous magnesium carbonate particulates, along with M(OH)_n colloid formation. Simulations will reveal how such interactions are affected by the presence and concentration of carbonate species, contaminants, and other ions. Further studies will consider approaches to the immobilisation of radionuclides through the introduction of strongly sorbing materials.