| 1. |
- Al-Ansari, Nadhir, et al.
(författare)
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Effective isolation of radioactive military wastes in Iraq : a necessary humanitarian action
- 2011
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Iraq has been subject to a series of wars for more than fifty years, the latest one leaving large amounts of wrecked tanks, vehicles, weapons and ammunition. A considerable part of the waste has the form of, or contains, depleted uranium (DU), that is concluded to have cancerogenic effects through its radioactivity and toxicity. The DU exists in significant concentrations in areas where combat took place, mostly in and around the cities of Bagdad and Basra, the total number of particularly encountered areas being about 15. The way of long-term isolation of DU that is proposed in this paper is to construct relatively simple landfills of sandwiched contaminated soil and clay or clayey soil, covered by sand/gravel and erosion-resistant coarser material on top. The very low annual precipitation and long draught in the deserts, implying significant evaporation, means that the system of tight soil interlayered with contaminated soil, embedding wrecked military objects, minimizes percolation and release of DU, keeping it adsorbed on the finest soil particles. The clay-based material must be composed in a way that, i/ desiccation fractures are not formed in periods of long draught and ii/ not swell uncontrolled and loose strength in wet periods. The DU-contaminated soil is proposed to be scraped off and transported in closed trucks to four desert sites where landfills of the sandwich-type are proposed to be constructed.
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| 2. |
- Al-Ansari, Nadhir, et al.
(författare)
-
Isolation of radioactive military wastes in Iraq
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Earth Sciences and Geotechnical Engineering. - : Scienpress Ltd. - 1792-9040 .- 1792-9660. ; 3:3, s. 1-10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Iraq has been subject to a series of wars for more than fifty years, the latest one leaving large amounts of wrecked tanks, vehicles, weapons and ammunition. A considerable part of the waste has the form of, or contains, depleted uranium (DU), that is concluded to have cancerogenic effects through its radioactivity and toxicity. The DU exists in significant concentrations in areas where combat took place, mostly in and around the cities of Bagdad and Basra, the total number of particularly encountered areas being about 15. The way of long-term isolation of DU that is proposed in this paper is to construct relatively simple landfills of sandwiched contaminated soil and clay or clayey soil, covered by sand/gravel and erosion-resistant coarser material on top. The very low annual precipitation and long draught in the deserts, implying significant evaporation, means that the system of tight soil interlayered with contaminated soil, embedding wrecked military objects, minimizes percolation and release of DU, keeping it adsorbed on the finest soil particles. The clay-based material must be composed in a way that, i/ desiccation fractures are not formed in periods of long draught and ii/ not swell uncontrolled and loose strength in wet periods. The DU-contaminated soil is proposed to be scraped off and transported in closed trucks to four desert sites where landfills of the sandwich-type are proposed to be constructed.
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| 3. |
- Al-Ansari, Nadhir, et al.
(författare)
-
Saving Iraqi civilians and their environment from catastrophic implications of depleted uranium used in Gulf wars I and II
- 2011
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Depleted uranium (DU) was used twice by the Americans and allied forces against Iraqi troops and personnel in 1991 and 2003. The largest single radionuclide contamination occurred in the Gulf during Gulf War II, 1991, where depleted uranium was used as an amour-penetrating ordnance. Due to this use the countryside of Iraq was contaminated to a significant extent and thus chronically exposed the civilian population and military personnel to different environmental loads i.e. DU dust, vapors, and aerosols etc. In addition to the radioactive contamination due to military activities in Gulf wars, other dangerous source of contamination has been reported from the material and equipment at the Iraqi Energy Authority. After the fall of the Baath regime in 2003, the Iraqi Energy Authority, like all other Ministries and governmental organizations, sustained immense losses due to the turmoil and looting. As an example the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMI) reported in 2003 that uranium (as yellow cakes) as well as byproducts from processing activities in addition to tons of radioactive waste was stored in barrels. Simple citizens stole these barrels and used them for storing water. The radioactive materials in these barrels were in this way either spread in large quantities on the ground or taken to their homes. Other examples of how DU material is spread are given in the report as well. This report is highlighting the effect of radioactive waste on the people and the environment of Iraq and trying to find possible solutions to the problem. Special concerns are directed to the question of finding sustainable, environmentally acceptable and safe landfills for the final deposition of DU contaminated material.
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| 4. |
- Al-Ansari, Nadhir, et al.
(författare)
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Suggested landfill sites for hazardous waste in Iraq
- 2013
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Ingår i: Natural Science. - : Scientific Research Publishing, Inc.. - 2150-4091 .- 2150-4105. ; 5:4, s. 463-477
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Iraq experienced two devastating wars in 1991 and 2003, during which massive amounts of new weapons and sophisticated manufactured nuclear weapons were used called Depleted Uranium (DU). As a consequence of the radioactive contamination; the humans are suffering from various disease like cancer and the environment is polluted.In practice, there is no strategy and/or national program, not even well thought out plans and scientific personnel and technical equipment required to clean Iraq of these wastes. Reviewing the geological, topographical and hydrological data, it had been noticed that Umm Chaimin depression is a good candidate site to dump all contaminated radioactive scrap and soil. The suggested design of the landfill will ensure safe containment of the waste for hundreds of thousands of years even if significant climatic changes will take place.
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| 5. |
- Al-Ansari, Nadhir, et al.
(författare)
-
The environmental implications of depleted uranium in Iraq and the principles of isolating it
- 2014
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Ingår i: Waste Management and the Environment VII. - Southanpton : WIT Press. - 9781845647605 - 9781845647612 ; , s. 367-376
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Iraq experienced two devastating wars in 1991 and 2003, during which massiveamounts of new weapons and sophisticated manufactured nuclear weaponscalled depleted uranium (DU) were used. DU is a by-product of the enrichmentof natural uranium for nuclear reactor-grade or nuclear weapons-grade uranium. Depleted uranium is chemically identical to natural uranium. During the second Gulf war in 2003 U.S. and British troops used more than 1100 to 2200 tons of DU. As a consequence the ruminants of wars are reported to have seriously affected people and the environment, causing cancer and abnormal birth defects. The water and soil all over most of Iraq is contaminated. There is no strategy, national or international program for cleaning Iraq of DU wastes. Site selection criteria have been suggested for the disposal of radioactive waste but no principle of designing and constructing disposals. The present paper describes a large geological feature, a deep natural depression, which would be useful for isolating DU by isolating it in smectitic Iraqi clay.
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| 6. |
- Al-Taie, Laith, et al.
(författare)
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Hazardous wastes problems in Iraq : a suggestion for an environmental solution
- 2011
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Iraq passed through many destructive wars where the country infrastructures have been destroyed. Consequently, various types of hazardous wastes generated from 1991 and 2003 wars are exposed in different parts of Iraq without any aspect of human and environment considerations. Contaminants are found in the form of contaminated rubble with depleted uranium (DU). Landfill disposal is still an economical and vital solution that should serve between 500-1000 years for confining hazardous wastes like DU. The longevity of a hazardous waste landfill is mainly controlled by clay based liners. There are many factors affecting the performance of clay liners. These factors were discussed in this research. The main requirements of hazardous waste landfills were listed according to USEPA and German regulations. Finally, the main aspects of landfill siting criteria in Iraq were suggested.
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| 7. |
- Al-Taie, Laith, et al.
(författare)
-
Hazardous wastes problems in Iraq:a suggestion for an environmental solution
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Earth Sciences and Geotechnical Engineering. - : Scienpress Ltd. - 1792-9040 .- 1792-9660. ; 3:3, s. 81-91
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Iraq passed through many destructive wars where the country infrastructures have been destroyed. Consequently, various types of hazardous wastes generated from 1991 and 2003 wars are exposed in different parts of Iraq without any aspect of human and environment considerations. Contaminants are found in the form of contaminated rubble with depleted uranium (DU). Landfill disposal is still an economical and vital solution that should serve between 300-1000 years for confining hazardous wastes like DU. The longevity of a hazardous waste landfill is mainly controlled by clay based liners. There are many factors affecting the performance of clay liners. These factors were discussed. The main requirements of hazardous waste landfills were listed according to USEPA and German regulations. Finally, the main aspects of landfill siting criteria in Iraq were suggested.
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| 8. |
- Al-Taie, Laith, et al.
(författare)
-
Hydraulic properties of smectite clays from Iraq with special respect to landfills of DU-contaminated waste
- 2011
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Landfills of material contaminated by depleted uranium and other low-level radioactive waste must be isolated from the biosphere for a sufficiently long time. This can be effectively made in desert climate by collecting contaminated waste in suitable areas confined by tight embankments and covering them with very tight clay liners protected from desiccation and erosion by suitably composed filters and coarse rock fill. Examples of design principles and construction are described in the paper. The clay liners are made of air-dry expanding clay that can be found in sufficient quantities in Iraq and that provide very good tightness at low cost. The construction technique is well known from various projects.
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| 9. |
- Al-Taie, Laith, et al.
(författare)
-
Hydraulic properties of smectite clays from Iraq with special respect to landfills of DU-contaminated waste
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Journal of Earth Sciences and Geotechnical Engineering. - : Scienpress Ltd. - 1792-9040 .- 1792-9660. ; 3:3, s. 109-125
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Landfills of material contaminated by depleted uranium and other low-level radioactive waste must be isolated from the biosphere for a sufficiently long time. This can be effectively made in desert climate by collecting contaminated waste in suitable areas confined by tight embankments and covering them with very tight clay liners protected from desiccation and erosion by suitably composed filters and coarse rock fill. Examples of design principles and construction are described in the paper. The clay liners are made of air-dry expanding clay that can be found in sufficient quantities in Iraq and that provide very good tightness at low cost. The construction technique is well known from various projects.
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| 10. |
- Al-Taie, Laith, et al.
(författare)
-
Hydraulic properties of smectite rich clay controlled by hydraulic gradients and filter types
- 2014
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Ingår i: Applied Clay Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-1317 .- 1872-9053. ; 87, s. 73-80
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The common practice in geotechnical laboratories is to apply high hydraulic gradients for getting results in reasonable time but this can jeopardize the accuracy. In this paper, the hydraulic conductivity of a smectite rich clay from Iraq was determined under different hydraulic gradients (5 to 10000 m/m) using several densities and two permeants. Also, two types of filters were used, ordinary stainless steel sintered filter and sand/silt filter, in order to examine the possible effect of clogging by dragged clay gel particles. It was concluded that the outflow filter can affect the evaluated conductivity especially when applying high hydraulic gradients. For sintered filters the hydraulic conductivity was reduced as the gradient increased, while the conductivity increased as the hydraulic gradient increased when using sand/silt filters. For salt water the impact of the gradient was less obvious than for distilled water. A theoretical model was derived for selecting safe hydraulic gradients as a function of dry density, hydraulic gradient, swelling pressure and permeant type. A major conclusion was that the gradient in laboratory testing should not exceed 100 m/m.
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