Abstract
A major national concern is the remediation of contaminated materials, soils, and water as well as disposal of wastes containing radionuclides and toxic metals safely and economically. Large volumes of wastes containing toxic metals and radionuclides are generated by nuclear- and/or fossil-fueled power plants, the metal fabrication industries, and by facilities producing nuclear weapons. New innovative treatment and remediation technologies are needed because the problem is pervasive. Options for microbiological treatment include stabilization, or the removal and recovery of the contaminants. Stabilization means that the radionuclides and toxic metals are converted chemically or biologically to an insoluble form which is stable in the environment. For decontamination, both metal and radionuclide must be removed and recovered from the contaminated site, so that the site is restored. Stabilizing and reducing the mass of the radionuclides and toxic metals contained in such wastes would facilitate their disposal.
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References
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Francis, A.J. (1995). Microbiological Treatment of Radioactive Wastes. In: Schulz, W.W., Horwitz, E.P. (eds) Chemical Pretreatment of Nuclear Waste for Disposal. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2526-4_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2526-4_9
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