Migration Case Study: Uranium Mining Waste Rock Pile No. 250 in the Region Schlema/Alberoda (Saxony, Germany)


Migration Case Study: Uranium Mining Waste Rock Pile No. 250 in the Region Schlema/Alberoda (Saxony, Germany)

Schmeide, K.; Geipel, G.; Heise, K. H.; Bernhard, G.

The overall objective of the EC project "Humic Substances in Performance Assessment of Nuclear Waste Disposal: Actinide and Iodine Migration in the Far-Field" is the determination of the effect of humic substances on the actinide migration in natural systems to assess their impact on the long-term safety of radioactive waste repository sites and abandoned uranium mines. This task includes also the implementation of the present knowledge to real existing natural systems thereby verifying the correlation between important parameters, evaluating their environmental impact and finally, uncovering issues not addressed so far.
Uranium mining waste rock piles in the southern parts of the former East Germany represent a significant long-term environmental concern and liability. Although the uranium mines were decommissioned with the end of the uranium ore production in 1990, the legacy of forty-five years of uranium mining, such as abandoned mines, huge waste rock piles and mill tailings, represents a permanent reservoir and source of radioactive and non-radioactive contaminants. The discharge of radionuclides from the waste rock piles and contamination of the surrounding geosphere has to be minimized.
For the case study presented in this paper, the uranium mining waste rock pile no. 250 in Schlema/Alberoda (Saxony, Germany) was chosen. In many respects, this pile resembles other rock piles of this region. The site is characterized comprehensively with regard to composition and activity inventory of rock material and seepage water, uranium species occurring in the seepage water, TOC content and much more. Some important data of other uranium mining waste rock piles that were located in the vicinity of the rock pile no. 250 are also included in this study, especially the fulvic and humic acid content in the seepage water of rock piles and their loading with uranium. The data presented in this natural system study constitute the basis of performance assessment modeling.

Keywords: Transport; Fulvic acid; Humic acid; Uranium; Mine pile

  • Contribution to external collection
    FZKA 6800, Wissenschaftliche Berichte, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe 2003, pp. 79-98.

Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-5286
Publ.-Id: 5286