Environmental Radioactivity Research Network
Lead Research Organisation:
The University of Manchester
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Planned Impact
Who will benefit from this network?
Commercial / Private Sector
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA): UK Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste Management activities are overseen by the NDA. At this stage we have made the NDA aware of the network proposal, and we will strengthen this link upon initiation of the Env-Rad-Net to ensure knowledge transfer.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority - Radioactive Waste Management Directorate (NDA-RWMD): The NDA-RWMD is responsible for implementing the geological disposal of UK High Activity Wastes, and they are currently developing the UK geodisposal safety case. Shaw, Law, and several other key network participants have extant links with the NDA-RWMD (e.g., via the NERC BIGRAD and EPSRC AMASS). These links will be used to engage the NDA-RWMD as network participants upon initiation of the Env-Rad-Net, thus ensuring two-way knowledge transfer.
National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL): NNL (previously NIREX) is a government owned, contractor-operated company. It is responsible for supporting the UK's strategic nuclear R & D and for developing specialised, high-level skills in the nuclear environmental sciences. A key member of the NNL team (Dr. Small) will sit of the Env-Rad-Net steering committee thus ensuring knowledge transfer between the Env-Rad-Net and NNL.
Policy Makers
National level: Members of the Env-Rad-Net have policy links to geological disposal (DECC, CoRWM), new nuclear power (DECC and BIS) and on nuclear security (FERA) and nuclear incident response (GDS).
Local level: Decommissioning and geodisposal facilities will be hosted at a local council level, and the Env-Rad-Net will seek to link with, for example, imminent developments in the UK Geodisposal forward programme.
Wider public
Across the network, we have a track record in public engagement.
How will they benefit from this network?
Commercial-Private Sector
NDA, NDA-RWMD and NNL will benefit directly from the enhanced community in environmental radioactivity that will result from the network. At a higher level the network will directly address issues affecting environment and energy, and more specifically will produce new research that can be used in underpinning management and implementation issues in the nuclear sciences.
Policy makers
The release of radionuclides from nuclear sites, nuclear security, and safe management of nuclear wastes and the subsequent mobility of radionuclides in the environment are subjects of intense public concern. At the same time, radioactivity spans the remit of many research councils and government departments. By creating a new network interface between STFC facilities and the wider nuclear environmental science community we will assist in developing a refreshed research base in this area. It is clear that a healthy research base will provide capability in providing independent scrutiny in forward plans for geodisposal, low-level waste disposal and indeed for contaminated land and nuclear legacy management: Capability that will be crucial in implementation of these significant managerial, technical and environmental challenges over the next two decades.
Wider Public
We will actively engage with initiatives hosted within the STFC (e.g. DIAMOND Communications Office, Open Days etc.) to communicate the activities of the Env-Rad-Net to a wider audience. This will ensure a high level of public understanding.
Skills
The Env-Rad-Net is focussed on skills development and exploitation of STFC facilities. We anticipate developing skills of the wider environmental science community in working with environmental radioactivity challenges, of the radiochemistry and modelling community to develop their links into STFC facilities, and of cross STFC exploitation within the network.
Commercial / Private Sector
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA): UK Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste Management activities are overseen by the NDA. At this stage we have made the NDA aware of the network proposal, and we will strengthen this link upon initiation of the Env-Rad-Net to ensure knowledge transfer.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority - Radioactive Waste Management Directorate (NDA-RWMD): The NDA-RWMD is responsible for implementing the geological disposal of UK High Activity Wastes, and they are currently developing the UK geodisposal safety case. Shaw, Law, and several other key network participants have extant links with the NDA-RWMD (e.g., via the NERC BIGRAD and EPSRC AMASS). These links will be used to engage the NDA-RWMD as network participants upon initiation of the Env-Rad-Net, thus ensuring two-way knowledge transfer.
National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL): NNL (previously NIREX) is a government owned, contractor-operated company. It is responsible for supporting the UK's strategic nuclear R & D and for developing specialised, high-level skills in the nuclear environmental sciences. A key member of the NNL team (Dr. Small) will sit of the Env-Rad-Net steering committee thus ensuring knowledge transfer between the Env-Rad-Net and NNL.
Policy Makers
National level: Members of the Env-Rad-Net have policy links to geological disposal (DECC, CoRWM), new nuclear power (DECC and BIS) and on nuclear security (FERA) and nuclear incident response (GDS).
Local level: Decommissioning and geodisposal facilities will be hosted at a local council level, and the Env-Rad-Net will seek to link with, for example, imminent developments in the UK Geodisposal forward programme.
Wider public
Across the network, we have a track record in public engagement.
How will they benefit from this network?
Commercial-Private Sector
NDA, NDA-RWMD and NNL will benefit directly from the enhanced community in environmental radioactivity that will result from the network. At a higher level the network will directly address issues affecting environment and energy, and more specifically will produce new research that can be used in underpinning management and implementation issues in the nuclear sciences.
Policy makers
The release of radionuclides from nuclear sites, nuclear security, and safe management of nuclear wastes and the subsequent mobility of radionuclides in the environment are subjects of intense public concern. At the same time, radioactivity spans the remit of many research councils and government departments. By creating a new network interface between STFC facilities and the wider nuclear environmental science community we will assist in developing a refreshed research base in this area. It is clear that a healthy research base will provide capability in providing independent scrutiny in forward plans for geodisposal, low-level waste disposal and indeed for contaminated land and nuclear legacy management: Capability that will be crucial in implementation of these significant managerial, technical and environmental challenges over the next two decades.
Wider Public
We will actively engage with initiatives hosted within the STFC (e.g. DIAMOND Communications Office, Open Days etc.) to communicate the activities of the Env-Rad-Net to a wider audience. This will ensure a high level of public understanding.
Skills
The Env-Rad-Net is focussed on skills development and exploitation of STFC facilities. We anticipate developing skills of the wider environmental science community in working with environmental radioactivity challenges, of the radiochemistry and modelling community to develop their links into STFC facilities, and of cross STFC exploitation within the network.
Organisations
- The University of Manchester (Lead Research Organisation)
- UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (Collaboration)
- LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover (Collaboration)
- SOLEIL Synchrotron (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD (Collaboration)
- Atomic Weapons Establishment (Collaboration)
- Clemson University (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
Gareth Law (Principal Investigator) |
Publications

Bots P
(2014)
Formation of stable uranium(VI) colloidal nanoparticles in conditions relevant to radioactive waste disposal.
in Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids

Cherkouk A
(2016)
Influence of riboflavin on the reduction of radionuclides by Shewanella oneidenis MR-1.
in Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)

Marshall T
(2018)
Uranium fate during crystallization of magnetite from ferrihydrite in conditions relevant to the disposal of radioactive waste
in Mineralogical Magazine

Marshall TA
(2014)
Incorporation of Uranium into Hematite during crystallization from ferrihydrite.
in Environmental science & technology

Marshall TA
(2014)
Incorporation and retention of 99-Tc(IV) in magnetite under high pH conditions.
in Environmental science & technology

Masters-Waage NK
(2017)
Impacts of Repeated Redox Cycling on Technetium Mobility in the Environment.
in Environmental science & technology

Ochiai A
(2018)
Uranium Dioxides and Debris Fragments Released to the Environment with Cesium-Rich Microparticles from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
in Environmental science & technology

Roberts H
(2017)
Uranium(V) Incorporation Mechanisms and Stability in Fe(II)/Fe(III) (oxyhydr)Oxides
in Environmental Science & Technology Letters

Thorpe C
(2015)
Neptunium and manganese biocycling in nuclear legacy sediment systems
in Applied Geochemistry

Williamson A
(2018)
Microbially mediated reduction of Np(V) by a consortium of alkaline tolerant Fe(III)-reducing bacteria
in Mineralogical Magazine
Description | The Env-Rad-Net has an overarching aim of increasing the safe use of STFC facilities with the Environmental Radioactivity Research Community. It seeks to achieve this aim by: (i) facilitating access (via funding); (ii) providing training; (iii) facilitating knowledge transfer; (iv) advising on experimental design and health and safety; (v) learning from international best practice. The Env-Rad-Net was initiated in 2012 and well on its way to achieving its aims. |
Exploitation Route | Training of young career researchers. Permitting knowledge transfer to government, regulators, and site operators. |
Sectors | Chemicals Education Energy Environment |
URL | http://www.envradnet.co.uk |
Description | - We have trained a large number of young career researchers (+30) in the use of STFC central facility hosted techniques (e.g. XAS, SAXS, X-ray tomography, Laser spectroscopy). - We have helped UK research groups gain access and use STFC central facilities (e.g. CLF, Diamond, MXIF) and a range of international facilities (e.g. ALS; ANKA, Brookhaven) - We are currently helping development health and safety and experiment knowledge for radioactive sample analysis at STFC facilities (e.g. Diamond, CLF). - We have learned from best practice at a range of international facilities and this will be fed back to STFC. |
First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
Sector | Chemicals,Education,Energy,Environment |
Impact Types | Societal |
Description | Diamond Light Source Beamtime I18 |
Amount | £16,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Diamond Light Source |
Sector | Private |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2017 |
End | 02/2017 |
Description | EPSRC - Standard Research |
Amount | £196,048 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/R001499/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 06/2017 |
End | 12/2018 |
Description | NERC - Standard Grant FEC |
Amount | £620,496 (GBP) |
Funding ID | NE/R011230/1 |
Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2017 |
End | 09/2020 |
Description | STFC Futures Studentship Scheme |
Amount | £67,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | ST/L502534/1 |
Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2013 |
End | 09/2017 |
Description | Collaboration with AWE |
Organisation | Atomic Weapons Establishment |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | AWE directly support the project PDRA with analysis support. AWE have also co-sponsored a EPSRC Next Gen Nuclear DTC student that is now associated with the NERC grant. |
Collaborator Contribution | Studentship co-funding Analysis and sample support Professional advice (analysis for nuclear forensics) |
Impact | None as yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Collaboration with Clemson University |
Organisation | Clemson University |
Department | College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are conducting field experiments with Clemson University using the Savannah River Test bed facility to replicate our laboratory experiments at UoM that address environmental aging of uranic materials. |
Collaborator Contribution | Full access to field kit, personnel, and analysis |
Impact | None as yet |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Collaboration with IRS Hannover |
Organisation | Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover |
Department | Institute for Radio-ecology and Radiation Protection |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | 2 x weeks of TOF-SIMS analysis of uranic samples at IRS Hannover, samples and PDRA / PhD support |
Collaborator Contribution | 2 x weeks of TOF-SIMS analysis of uranic samples at IRS Hannover, full technical support (3 x staff members of IRS) |
Impact | None as yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | University of Edinburgh Diamond Experiments |
Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Advice Financial Training |
Collaborator Contribution | Experimental |
Impact | None as yet |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | University of Loughborough Diamond Lightsource Experiments |
Organisation | Loughborough University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Safety Advice Experimental Advice |
Collaborator Contribution | Experimental |
Impact | None as yet |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | University of Manchester Experiments at ALS |
Organisation | University of Manchester |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Financial |
Collaborator Contribution | Experimental |
Impact | None as yet |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | University of Manchester Experiments at STFC CLF |
Organisation | University of Manchester |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Experimental Safety Advice |
Collaborator Contribution | Experimental technique development |
Impact | Technique development |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | University of Manchester Experiments at the Soleil Synchrotron |
Organisation | SOLEIL Synchrotron |
Country | France |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Experiments were conducted on the Soleil Synchrotron MARS station to look at Tc, U, and Np co-ordination chemistry in a range of environmental samples. |
Collaborator Contribution | Facilitating measurements |
Impact | None as yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | University of Sheffield Experiments at Brookhaven Lighsource |
Organisation | University of Sheffield |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Financial |
Collaborator Contribution | Experimental |
Impact | None as yet |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Blue Dot Science Festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Environmental Radioactivity knowledge transfer as part of wider activities at the blue dot festival |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |