The Phytoremediation of Radioactively Contaminated Land: A Feasible Approach or Just Bananas?

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria A. Nesbitt
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
Screening Process ◽  
Preliminary Screening ◽  
A Site ◽  
Ground Contamination

Soil is an essential component of all terrestrial ecosystems and is under increasing threat from human activity. Techniques available for removing radioactive contamination from soil and aquatic substrates are limited and often costly to implement; particularly over large areas. Frequently, bulk soil removal, with its attendant consequences, is a significant component of the majority of contamination incidents. Alternative techniques capable of removing contamination or exposure pathways without damaging or removing the soil are therefore of significant interest. An increasing number of old nuclear facilities are entering ‘care and maintenance’, with significant ground contamination issues. Phytoremediation — the use of plants’ natural metabolic processes to remediate contaminated sites is one possible solution. Its key mechanisms include phytoextraction and phytostabilisation. These are analogues of existing remedial techniques. Further, phytoremediation can improve soil quality and stability and restore functionality. Information on the application of phytoremediation in the nuclear industry is widely distributed over an extended period of time and sources. It is therefore difficult to quickly and effectively identify which plants would be most suitable for phytoremediation on a site by site basis. In response, a phytoremediation tool has been developed to address this issue. Existing research and case studies were reviewed to understand the mechanisms of phytoremediation, its effectiveness and the benefits and limitations of implementation. The potential for cost recovery from a phytoremediation system is also briefly considered. An overview of this information is provided here. From this data, a set of matrices was developed to guide potential users through the plant selection process. The matrices take the user through a preliminary screening process to determine whether the contamination present at their site is amenable to phytoremediation, and to give a rough indication as to what plants might be suitable. The second two allow the user to target specific plant species that would be most likely to successfully establish based on prevailing site conditions. The outcome of this study is a phytoremediation tool that can facilitate the development of phytoremediation projects, avoiding the need for in-depth research to identify optimal plant species on a case-by-case basis.

scholarly journals A Web-Based Software Platform for Restoration-Oriented Species Selection Based on Plant Functional Traits

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Wang ◽  
Shuguang Jian ◽  
Hai Ren ◽  
Junhua Yan ◽  
Nan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Plant Functional Traits ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Software Platform ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Successful Case ◽  
The Future ◽  
Degraded Ecosystems

Plant functional traits are fundamental to the understanding of plant adaptations and distributions. Recently, scientists proposed a trait-based species selection theory to support the selection of suitable plant species to restore the degraded ecosystems, to prevent the invasive exotic species and to manage the sustainable ecosystems. Based on this theory, in a previous study, we developed a species screening model and successfully applied it to a project where plant species were selected for restoring a tropical coral island. However, during this process we learned that a software platform is necessary to automate the selection process because it can flexible to assist users. Here, we developed a generalized software platform called the “Restoration Plant Species Selection (RPSS) Platform.” This flexible software is designed to assist users in selecting plant species for particular purposes (e.g., restore the degraded ecosystems and others). It is written in R language and integrated with external R packages, including the packages that computing similarity indexes, providing graphic outputs, and offering web functions. The software has a web-based graphical user interface that allows users to execute required functions via checkboxes and buttons. The platform has cross-platform functionality, which means that it can run on all common operating systems (e.g., Windows, Linux, macOS, and others). We also illustrate a successful case study in which the software platform was used to select suitable plant species for restoration purpose. The objective of this paper is to introduce the newly developed software platform RPSS and to provide useful guidances on using it for various applications. At this step, we also realized that the software platform should be constantly updated (e.g., add new features) in the future. Based on the existing successful application and the possible updates, we believe that our RPSS software platform will have broader applications in the future.

scholarly journals Recording plant status and regeneration during single visits

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 283-291
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Walker ◽  
Simon Leach ◽  
Chris Preston ◽  
Thomas Humphrey ◽  
Trevor James ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
The Other ◽  
A Site

Information on the origin (status) and regeneration of plant species improves our understanding of native distributions and the establishment of non-native species. However, current categories used to record status in Britain and Ireland, whilst conceptually informative, rely on a knowledge of persistence that is impossible to assess objectively during a single (one-off) recording visit. We propose five alternative categories that focus on origin (how a species arrived at a site) rather than persistence. The first two categories apply to nationally native taxa: (1) populations that are unequivocally native and (2) those that are likely to have been introduced and/or are spreading for reasons that are obscure. The other three categories cover the occurrences of any taxon, native or non-native, that is known or suspected to have been introduced to a site: (3) introductions with unknown/obscure origins; (4) deliberate introductions; and (5) accidental introductions. For the introduced categories 3-5 we recommend that botanists also record signs of regeneration, i.e. seedlings or widely scattered patches, as a more objective measure whether a species is likely to be self-sustaining in a given locality.

scholarly journals Colony Choice in Cliff Swallows: Effects of Heterogeneity in Foraging Habitat

The Auk ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 446-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles R. Brown ◽  
Christine M. Sas ◽  
Mary Bomberger Brown
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Colony Size ◽  
Plant Species Diversity ◽  
Foraging Range ◽  
Nesting Site ◽  
Site Use ◽  
A Site

Abstract One potential determinant of colony size in birds is the local availability of food near a nesting site. Insectivorous Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) in southwestern Nebraska nest in colonies ranging from 2 to over 3,000 nests, but they feed on so many kinds of insects that direct sampling of food resources is impractical. Instead, we investigated the degree to which swallow colony size was correlated with the extent of different habitat types, land use diversity, and plant species diversity in the colony's foraging range, and used those parameters as indices of potential variation among sites in food availability. Amount of flowing and standing water in the foraging range was a significant predictor of mean colony size across years at a site, with larger colonies associated with more water. The same result held for most years when analyzed separately. The extent of flowing water in the foraging range also was a significant predictor of the frequency with which a site was occupied across years. In addition, univariate tests suggested that the amount of cultivated cropland in the foraging range varied inversely with colony size. Land use diversity, as measured by Simpson's index, increased significantly with colony size, and all of the sites with perennially very large colonies (mean colony size >1,000 nests) were associated with foraging ranges of relatively high land use diversity. Repeatability of colony size across years differed significantly from zero across all sites, but repeatabilities were significantly lower (colony sizes less similar between years) for sites situated in low-diversity habitats and for sites used less often. There was no strong effect of plant species diversity within the foraging range on either colony size at a site or likelihood of site use. We conclude that land use diversity per se (and possibly the extent of water near a site) might influence insect distribution and constrain formation of the larger colonies to certain sites. These findings emphasize that colony choice in Cliff Swallows is complex, reflecting both the socially mediated costs and benefits of group size that vary among individuals and the effects of habitat heterogeneity that may influence food availability at some sites.

scholarly journals A method combining TA cloning and fluorescence screening for rapid acquisition of transgenic seeds

BioTechniques ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 251-256
Author(s):  
Min Li ◽  
Ling-Yan Jiang ◽  
Qin Liu ◽  
Yuan-Hang Wu ◽  
Guo-Dao Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transgenic Plants ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Expression Vectors ◽  
Process Time ◽  
Screening Process ◽  
Rapid Acquisition ◽  
Growth Defects ◽  
Transgenic Seeds ◽  
Foreign Genes

The establishment of transgenic plants has greatly promoted the progress of plant research. However, traditional selection methods using antibiotics or herbicides may miss any positive transformants with growth defects. Additionally, screening with antibiotics/herbicides requires a huge amount of seeds, sterile work conditions and a large amount of space to germinate plants, making the selection process time- and labor-consuming. In this study, we constructed a novel stable transformation vector, plasmid of OLE1-GFP T-DNA vector (pOGT), which can shorten the steps of cloning foreign genes into expression vectors by using TA cloning. Additionally, selection of transformed seeds with fluorescence overcomes the difficulties of conventional selection with antibiotics/herbicides and simplifies the screening process for transgenic plants.

scholarly journals A relict population of Cymbalophora rivularis on the Pollino Massif, southern Italy (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)

2018 ◽  
pp. 37-41
Author(s):  
Silvia Greco ◽  
Francesco Luigi Leonetti ◽  
Stefano Scalercio
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
National Park ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
First Record ◽  
South Italy ◽  
Refuge Area ◽  
Relict Populations ◽  
Relict Population ◽  
A Site ◽  
First Time

The first record for South Italy of Cymbalophora rivularis (Ménétriès, 1832) is reported, until now recorded in Italy only for Central Apennine. Three specimens were collected during August-September 2017, in an Acer spp. forest located on Monte Sparviere, a Site of Community Importance within the Pollino National Park. Furthermore, this species was successfully barcoded for the first time. This finding reinforces the biogeographic importance of Pollino Massif as refuge area for relict populations of several animal and plant species.

Readiness Criteria: Indonesias’ New Initiative to Ensure Sustainable Development Program

2015 ◽  
Vol 776 ◽  
pp. 101-107
Author(s):  
Alit Merthayasa
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
National Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Development Planning ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Funding Agency ◽  
Screening Process ◽  
Donor Funding

Government of Indonesia through Ministry of National Development Planning/Head of BAPPENAS, recently launched a new initiative in regard to Sustainable Development Program/project criteria called Readiness Criteria. The purpose of the criteria is to select proposed development program / project submitted by local governments as well as donor/funding agency especially related to grant or loan funds, through assessment or screening process. The main criteria consist of: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact criteria. The screening process implemented using design and monitoring framework (DMF), which is introduced and developed by ADB funded project’s in Indonesia. Decision of the selection process was made based on project assessment tools (PAT). Nowadays, readiness criteria will be implemented during pre-design phase or during proposal submission stages under the planning and budgeting period as stated by Indonesia Development Planning Board/BAPPENAS.

scholarly journals Importance of Advanced Planning of Manufacturing for Nuclear Industry

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-49
Author(s):  
Nick Shykinov ◽  
Robert Rulko ◽  
Dariusz Mroz
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Regulatory Compliance ◽  
Pressure Vessels ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Project Schedule ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
Project Completion ◽  
Advanced Planning ◽  
And Performance

Abstract In the context of energy demands by growing economies, climate changes, fossil fuel pricing volatility, and improved safety and performance of nuclear power plants, many countries express interest in expanding or acquiring nuclear power capacity. In the light of the increased interest in expanding nuclear power the supply chain for nuclear power projects has received more attention in recent years. The importance of the advanced planning of procurement and manufacturing of components of nuclear facilities is critical for these projects. Many of these components are often referred to as long-lead items. They may be equipment, products and systems that are identified to have a delivery time long enough to affect directly the overall timing of a project. In order to avoid negatively affecting the project schedule, these items may need to be sourced out or manufactured years before the beginning of the project. For nuclear facilities, long-lead items include physical components such as large pressure vessels, instrumentation and controls. They may also mean programs and management systems important to the safety of the facility. Authorized nuclear operator training, site evaluation programs, and procurement are some of the examples. The nuclear power industry must often meet very demanding construction and commissioning timelines, and proper advanced planning of the long-lead items helps manage risks to project completion time. For nuclear components there are regulatory and licensing considerations that need to be considered. A national nuclear regulator must be involved early to ensure the components will meet the national legal regulatory requirements. This paper will discuss timing considerations to address the regulatory compliance of nuclear long-lead items.

The Difficulties of Undertaking Site Characterisation on Operational Nuclear Licensed Sites

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Booth ◽  
Robert Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Monitoring Network ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
Site Investigation ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
Fit For Purpose ◽  
Safety Cases ◽  
Site Characterisation ◽  
A Site ◽  
Ground Contamination

Undertaking site investigation on nuclear licensed sites is very different to site investigation on other sites, even those which are heavily contaminated. This paper sets out to highlight some of the issues which need to be considered when formulating a fit for purpose, yet defensible site characterisation programme on such a site. The first and most important aspect of the work is to set out clearly your objectives. There may be a number of reasons why a site investigation is being undertaken. These could include purely fulfilling your site licence conditions as an operator or they could be more specific like supporting a defined de-licensing or decommissioning project, installing a monitoring network, or determining the extent of ground contamination. Ensuring that a conceptual model exists is the next step, even if only at a preliminary stage, as this coupled with the desk study will help formulate the site characterisation programme. Logistical issues as well as technical requirements need to be factored in, but in order to maintain transparency it is important to declare the latter first. Like other sites with ground contamination, issues like sampling and analysis need to be considered. Clearance procedures on nuclear licensed sites are extremely stringent and can lead to delays. These need to be considered, especially if sending samples offsite for organics analysis. The laboratories themselves need to be licensed to handle radioactive samples and the transport regulations also need to be adhered to. Other logistical issues requiring consideration include safety cases, plant modification proposals and waste disposal. The technical side itself sets its own challenges in that decisions need to be closely linked into the logistics. Will the samples and data be collected primarily through intrusive techniques or is there a requirement to utilise non-intrusive methodology? How do you defend the proposed site sampling strategy when you have access restrictions? Do you need to have permanent monitoring facilities? These are just some of the questions which need to be answered if a site operator is to have a transparent and defensive site investigation programme on a nuclear licensed site.

The Emergence of Sustainable Practice Within Decommissioning

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
David William Adamson ◽  
Jonathan Francis
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Concerted Effort ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
Nuclear Decommissioning ◽  
External Stakeholders ◽  
Guidance Documents ◽  
Sustainable Practice

Despite the advance of sustainable practice and energy efficient techniques outside of the nuclear industry, at the start of the 21st Century there was a lack of published guidance aimed at their adoption at specifically nuclear facilities. Even with the establishment of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, there is very little guidance published on how to adopt sustainable practices during decommissioning. There have been instances where energy efficiency had affected design and operations decisions. Projects aimed at responsible housekeeping, switching off lights, and changes to the nuclear ventilation design philosophy illustrate a desire for action, but these activities were championed by interested and motivated employees. Sustainable practice had not at that time received a strategic lead that resulted in a management structure to enable a coordinated and concerted effort in sustainable practice. This paper traces the progress during the 20th and early 21st Centuries, whereby sustainable practice is now established within a much firmer foundation of case study, guidance and organisational structure; to embed sustainable practice within the United Kingdom’s current decommissioning programme. It looks at the development of relevant literature and, through interviews with key managers and external stakeholders, demonstrates (i) the degree to which two essential guidance documents (the NiCOP and CIRIA SD:SPUR) are permeating the industry, (ii) how the current work of the Characterisation and Clearance Group has evolved to influence the decontamination and dismantling planning procedures and (iii) the transition from identifying ‘free-release’ materials to actually releasing them for re-use in the community.

Decontamination and Provenance Tracking

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bradbury ◽  
George R. Elder ◽  
John C. Ritchie ◽  
Robert G. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Nuclear Plants ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Continued Use ◽  
Contamination Levels

Decommissioning of retired nuclear plants and facilities demands the proper management of the process, both for economic reasons and for retaining public confidence in the continued use of nuclear power for electricity generation. There are significant potential benefits, both economic and environmental, in recycling materials from retired nuclear facilities for new uses rather than disposing of them as radioactive waste. Although it is technically possible to decontaminate many retired nuclear components to reduce contamination levels to below those appropriate for free release into the public domain, there is some public unease at the prospect of formerly contaminated materials passing into unrestricted public use. Greater support for recycle can be achieved by converting decontaminated materials into products for new controlled uses, particularly within the nuclear industry. Irrespective of the future of nuclear power, the industry has a need for many new items such as waste containers, replacement components etc. Good economics can be achieved by decontaminating the materials and then using existing non-radioactive manufacturing facilities for fabrication of new components. Provided that materials have first been decontaminated to below unrestricted release levels, there is no objection in principle to using non-radioactive facilities for recycling and manufacturing activities, so long as the materials are properly tracked to prevent their uncontrolled release. Surface decontamination has an important role to play in these activities. Efficient and economic decontamination processes are needed to prepare materials for recycle. The EPRI DFDX Process is a process for achieving these objectives. Recent progress with this process is described.

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