The Zr–2.5Nb alloy is used as pressure tubes in Canadian Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) nuclear reactors, and the typical starting microstructure consists of ?-Zr grains elongated both transverse longitudinal directions thin layers partially decomposed ?-Zr lying between grains. In this study, we have state-of-the-art microscopy techniques to characterise long-term thermally ? phase alloy, oxide sca...

Progress continued on method development for the dissolution of difficult-to-dissolve materials, the automated analysis of plutonium and uranium, the preparation of plutonium materials for the Safeguard Analytical Laboratory Evaluation (SALE) Program, and the analysis of HTGR fuel and SALE uranium materials. The previously developed Teflon-container, metal-shell apparatus was applied to the dis...

Depleted uranium (DU) is an emerging environmental pollutant that is introduced into the environment primarily by military activity. While depleted uranium is less radioactive than natural uranium, it still retains all the chemical toxicity associated with the original element. In large doses the kidney is the target organ for the acute chemical toxicity of this metal, producing potentially let...

The recovery of uranium and other valuable metals from Polish Peribaltic sandstones were examined. The solid-liquid extraction is the first stage of the technology of uranium production and it is crucial for the next stages of processing. In the laboratory experiments uranium was leached with efficiencies 71-100 % by acidic lixiviants. Satisfactory results were obtained for the alkaline leachin...

The goal of this project is to see if and how uranium (U) may contribute to DNA damage. Radioactive forms of uranium have been used as fuel for nuclear reactors and as fissionable material for atomic weapons, tank armor, and ammunition shells. People who work with or live near processed uranium have experienced higher incidence of lung cancer, which has been attributed to radon, a radioactive d...

In experiments on mice, rabbits, and piglets the distribution of uranium was studied at different times after exposure. Uranium was administered by inhalation (mice) and through the skin (rabbits and piglets). These investigations show that the uptakes of uranium in different organs of the three species are highly dependent on the amounts administered. There seems to be a saturation effect in t...

We engineered a strain of the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus to fluoresce in the presence of micromolar levels of uranium at ambient temperatures when it is exposed to a hand-held UV lamp. Previous microarray experiments revealed that several Caulobacter genes are significantly upregulated in response to uranium but not in response to other heavy metals. We designated one of these genes urcA ...

This paper analyzes several prevalent misconceptions about nuclear fuel cycles that breed fissile uranium-233 from thorium. Its main conclusions are: a Uranium-233, despite the gamma radioactivity of associated isotopes, is a rather attractive material for making fission bombs, and is a credible material for subnational as well as national groups to use for this purpose. e "Pure" thorium cycles...

This work presents experimental results on the distribution of irradiated reactor uranium from fallout after the accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in comparison to natural uranium distribution in different soil types. Oxidation processes and vertical migration of irradiated uranium in soils typical of the 30 km relocation area around Chernobyl NPP were studied using 236U as the tr...