Research article
| 
03 Mar 2025
Research article |
| 03 Mar 2025
| 03 Mar 2025
Numerical uncertainty identification, classification and quantification in radioactive waste management
Vinzenz Brendler
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
Solveig Pospiech
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
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Helge C. Moog, Tina Scharge, Holger Seher, Frank Bok, Vinzenz Brendler, Anke Richter, Laurin Wissmeier, Mareike Henneberg, Marcus Altmaier, Xavier Gaona, Nese Cevirim-Papaioannou, Daniela Freyer, Melanie Pannach, Julia Sohr, and Wolfgang Voigt
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THEREDA represents a web-based system of programs enabling access to thermodynamic reference data for the needs of the final disposal of radioactive waste in Germany. It is the only polythermal database worldwide that covers the entire system of oceanic salts, including acids, bases and carbonates. THEREDA aims at calculation of solubilities in high-saline solutions and uses the Pitzer approach.
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In the last few years, we have studied the immobilization of the long-lived fission product technetium-99 (99Tc) by various Fe(II) minerals. Those minerals enable the reduction of Tc(VII) to Tc(IV), which is crucial to decrease the migration of technetium in the environment. In the future, we want to analyze Tc immobilization strategies under more complex systems that could, in a more realistic way, improve environmental conditions.
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The immobilization of trivalent actinides (Am, Cm) and their less toxic homologue (Eu) in feldspar, a very common mineral in our earth crust, was studied by sorption experiments and spectroscopic studies. The speciation was identified and used to gain thermodynamic parameters to develop a surface complexation model. To sum up, feldspar, a main component of crystalline rock, is suitable for retaining radionuclides in a deep radioactive waste repository.
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Capturing the state of knowledge in radioactive waste management is a very important activity for supporting member states with the implementation of their national programmes towards the safe and effective management of waste. This requires the involvement of experts sharing their expertise and knowledge with the wider community. During the past 3 years, we have gained valuable insights into the procedures of involving experts and knowledge sharing, and the lessons learnt are shown here.
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The Repository Site Selection Act explicitly emphasises that targeting the disposal of high-level radioactive waste is a so-called learning process. We are of the opinion that the procedure and the available data should be combined with geoscientific knowledge to support the identification of siting regions. We propose this workshop and invite all experts who have dealt with the search for a repository site from a geoscientific perspective.
Astrid Göbel, Tobias Knuuti, Carola Franzen, Dinara Abbasova, Thuro Arnold, Vinzenz Brendler, Kateryna Fuzik, Jiří Faltejsek, Bálint Nős, Nadja Železnik, and Jitka Mikšová
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Short summary
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THEREDA represents a web-based system of programs enabling access to thermodynamic reference data for the needs of the final disposal of radioactive waste in Germany. It is the only polythermal database worldwide that covers the entire system of oceanic salts, including acids, bases and carbonates. THEREDA aims at calculation of solubilities in high-saline solutions and uses the Pitzer approach.
Natalia Mayordomo, Diana M. Rodríguez, Vinzenz Brendler, André Rossberg, Andreas C. Scheinost, Dieter Schild, Irene Cardaio, Arkadz Bureika, Caroline Börner, and Katharina Müller
Saf. Nucl. Waste Disposal, 2, 155–156, https://doi.org/10.5194/sand-2-155-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/sand-2-155-2023, 2023
Short summary
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In the last few years, we have studied the immobilization of the long-lived fission product technetium-99 (99Tc) by various Fe(II) minerals. Those minerals enable the reduction of Tc(VII) to Tc(IV), which is crucial to decrease the migration of technetium in the environment. In the future, we want to analyze Tc immobilization strategies under more complex systems that could, in a more realistic way, improve environmental conditions.
Jessica Lessing, Julia Neumann, Frank Bok, Johannes Lützenkirchen, Vinzenz Brendler, Moritz Schmidt, and Thorsten Stumpf
Saf. Nucl. Waste Disposal, 2, 161–162, https://doi.org/10.5194/sand-2-161-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/sand-2-161-2023, 2023
Short summary
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The immobilization of trivalent actinides (Am, Cm) and their less toxic homologue (Eu) in feldspar, a very common mineral in our earth crust, was studied by sorption experiments and spectroscopic studies. The speciation was identified and used to gain thermodynamic parameters to develop a surface complexation model. To sum up, feldspar, a main component of crystalline rock, is suitable for retaining radionuclides in a deep radioactive waste repository.
Alexandru Tatomir, Milena Schönhofen-Romer, Astrid Göbel, Dinara Abbasova, Thuro Arnold, Vinzenz Brendler, and Kateryna Fuzik
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Short summary
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Capturing the state of knowledge in radioactive waste management is a very important activity for supporting member states with the implementation of their national programmes towards the safe and effective management of waste. This requires the involvement of experts sharing their expertise and knowledge with the wider community. During the past 3 years, we have gained valuable insights into the procedures of involving experts and knowledge sharing, and the lessons learnt are shown here.
Michael Kühn, Dirk Bosbach, Horst Geckeis, Vinzenz Brendler, and Olaf Kolditz
Saf. Nucl. Waste Disposal, 2, 195–195, https://doi.org/10.5194/sand-2-195-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/sand-2-195-2023, 2023
Short summary
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The Repository Site Selection Act explicitly emphasises that targeting the disposal of high-level radioactive waste is a so-called learning process. We are of the opinion that the procedure and the available data should be combined with geoscientific knowledge to support the identification of siting regions. We propose this workshop and invite all experts who have dealt with the search for a repository site from a geoscientific perspective.
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Helge C. Moog, Tina Scharge, Holger Seher, Frank Bok, Vinzenz Brendler, Anke Richter, Laurin Wissmeier, Marcus Altmaier, Xavier Gaona, Nese Cevirim-Papaioannou, Daniela Freyer, Melanie Pannach, Julia Sohr, and Wolfgang Voigt
Saf. Nucl. Waste Disposal, 1, 157–158, https://doi.org/10.5194/sand-1-157-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/sand-1-157-2021, 2021
Jörg Matschullat, Roberval Monteiro Bezerra de Lima, Sophie F. von Fromm, Solveig Pospiech, Andrea M. Ramos, Gilvan Coimbra Martins, and Katharina Lenhart
SOIL Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2019-16, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2019-16, 2019
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
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Against common understanding, Amazon basin upland soils contain average carbon, nitrogen and sulfur concentrations similar to, e.g., European soils. The same applies for average C / N ratios. Post-forest land (e.g., pasture land, plantations) show up to 20 % of carbon and nitrogen losses after deforestation. Distinct seasonal dynamics are visible for the generally low pH-values and very low electrical conductivities in soil solution – a likely driver of seasonal element mobility.
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Short summary
Decisions associated with radioactive waste management are made in the presence of irreducible and reducible uncertainties. Here, the identification of such uncertainties (namely numerical ones), their ranking according to relevance, their categorization, the elucidation of internal dependencies and cross-interactions is addressed. Suitable methodologies to analyse and illustrate complex uncertainty patterns are discussed.
Decisions associated with radioactive waste management are made in the presence of irreducible...
