Assessment of the mobility of potentially toxic trace elements (PTEs) and radionuclides released in soils stabilized with mixtures of bentonite-lime-phosphogypsum.

Phosphogypsum (PG) is a solid by-product of the phosphate industry, rich in contaminants and produced in large quantities. Raw materials and stabilized specimens, consisting of bentonite-lime-PG mixtures, were characterized by mineralogical, microstructural, chemical, alpha-particle, and gamma-ray spectrometry analysis before hydration and after hardening. Compressive strength and leaching tests were performed on hardened specimens.

Valorisation diagnosis of waste from the decontamination of phosphogypsum leachates through a combined calcium carbonate/hydroxide process.

Phosphogypsum is an industrial waste considered as naturally occurring radioactive material. Stack disposal and exposure to the environmental condition involve the production of acid leachates with high potential pollutant loads as heavy metals and radionuclides. In this study, a sequential neutralisation process was applied for cleaning the generated releases, and the two obtained residues were characterised from the physical-chemical and radiological point of view before their valorisation.

Sedimentary environmental quality of a biosphere reserve estuary in southwestern Iberian Peninsula.

The Huelva estuary is formed by the common mouths of the Odiel and Tinto Rivers, and inside this ecosystem is the biosphere reserve of the Odiel saltmarshes. This ecosystem has been historically affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) and by releases of pollutants from five phosphoric acid industrial plants and phosphogypsum (PG) waste stacks located in the area. This study carried out a comprehensive assessment of the environmental impact of the biosphere reserve of the Odiel saltmarshes.

Behavior of Rn, Rn and their progenies along a daily cycle for different meteorological situations: Implications on atmospheric aerosol residence times and Rn daughters' equilibrium factors.

The correct assessment of the radiological hazard from radon and daughters, external and internal doses, residence times and equilibrium factors, implies the need to properly determine Rn (radon), Rn (thoron) and their respective short-lived progenies (Pb and Bi, and Pb and Bi, respectively), where the precise measurements of both progenies are quite complex due to their very short half-lives. In addition, it is important to study the temporal behavior of all these radionuclides along daily cycles. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the temporal evolution of radon, thoron and their progenies, and of their activity ratios along daily cycles for two different meteorological situations (synoptic and mesoscale processes).

A new efficiency calibration methodology for different atmospheric filter geometries by using coaxial Ge detectors.

Unlabelled: The study of the different pollutants present in atmospheric aerosols such as trace elements and radionuclides is essential to assess the air quality. To analyze the particulate matter (PM), atmospheric filters with different dimensions and geometries (rectangular, circular, slotted, and square filters) are usually employed. Regarding the pollutants existing in atmospheric aerosols, radionuclides are usually analyzed due to their multiple applications such as either in the environmental radiological control or as tracers of atmospheric processes.

A methodology to determine Pb, Bi, Pb and Bi in atmospheric aerosols; Application to precisely obtain aerosol residence times and Rn-daughters' equilibrium factors.

Progeny of Rn and Rn, (Pb, Bi, Pb and Bi) are essential to assess radiological hazard, external and internal doses, residence times and equilibrium factors. Precise measurements of these nuclides are quite complex due to their very short half-lives. This study outlines a new and precise methodology to measure these nuclides.

A simple and precise methodology to determine particulate matter mass in atmospheric filters; validation and application cases.

In the past decades, particulate matter (PM) measurements have been used extensively in atmospheric sciences, as it allows studying the evolution of tracers for different atmospheric processes and the effects of atmospheric pollution on human health. However, measuring PM mass requires a constant control of the laboratory conditions due to its capacity to absorb humidity. For this reason, this study was focused on developing a novel, simple and precise methodology to determine the corrections of the filter mass due to humidity changes.