4-6 Review of the Implications of Microbiological Factors on the Long-term Management of Used Nuclear Fuel

D. Roy Cullimore, Ph.D.  R.M., Droycon Bioconcepts Inc.

This paper outlines the need to recognize and include factors relating to the subsurface biosphere in the design and establishment of any used nuclear fuel storage or disposal concepts which may be developed.
 
Following an introductory chapter, Chapter 2 gives an overview of the science of microbiology, particularly from the environmental and ecological perspectives.  Chapter 3 considers the critical microbiological issues with respect to the storage and disposal of used nuclear fuel.  The influences of natural phenomena on microbiological aspects of the containment are addressed in Chapter 4, and Chapter 5 summarizes the potential forms of microbiologically mediated movement of the radionuclides from containment.
 
The key points arising from this review include:

• Microbial populations (particularly the Archea) are found throughout the biosphere and several kilometers deep into the geosphere.

• These communities exist anywhere they can exploit an energy gradient (pH gradient, redox gradient,) that may be driven by radiation, temperature, etc.

• The introduction of a used-fuel disposal facility deep into the geosphere will create local gradients that will act as a source of energy for Archea and bacteria capable of exploiting these gradients.

• The consequences of this exploitation could involve increasing the rate at which radionuclides contained in the facility are solubilized, the chemical form of the solubilized radionuclides and as a consequence their potential mobility through the geosphere.

• This in turn may influence the flux of these radionuclides into the receiving surface biosphere where human beings and the ecosystem on which our species depends is adversely affected.

Author Biography

D. Roy Cullimore, Ph.D. R.M., Droycon Bioconcepts Inc.

Roy Cullimore has a Ph.D. in agricultural microbiology and taught at the University of Regina for 33 years.

An inventor, author of a series of books on sustainable water wells and is an applied microbial ecologist, he dove to conduct scientific experiments on the RMS Titanic in 1996, 98 and in 2003.

Now Roy is President of a biotechnology company in Regina.

	4-6 Review of the Implications of Microbiological Factors on the Long-term Management of Used Nuclear Fuel
	4-6 Executive Summary

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