Current Research

Active Grants and Projects

• Nuclear Faculty Development at Clemson University
  This proposal seeks start-up package funds for a new tenure-track faculty position in the area of actinide chemistry that can contribute to the academic and research goals of the Center for Nuclear Environmental Engineering Sciences and Radioactive Waste Management (NEESRWM) at Clemson University. This faculty member will develop a unique research program that complements existing expertise within NEESRWM. During a recent self-assessment of NEESRWM, it was determined that a new tenure track, junior faculty position housed in the Department of Chemistry with a research and educational focus on actinide chemistry would be the most beneficial to the growth of the nuclear science and engineering research at Clemson University at this time. Given the wide range of educational and research needs of the nuclear community, it is critical to produce graduates who can understand and address the multifaceted problems that arise from nuclear power production. In particular, since Clemson University holds a broad scope radioactive materials license, we have the licensing and safety infrastructure to allow training of students in the handling of actinide materials. This is a unique aspect of our program that only few in the country can provide. Thus, we seek to hire a junior faculty member with expertise in actinide chemistry who can not only interface with other colleagues in the Department of Chemistry but also with faculty across the university through the NEESRWM Center. The faculty candidate could have an earned degree in chemistry, inorganic chemistry, radiochemistry, chemical engineering, material science, or a related field. The goal is to hire the best candidate to complement the research expertise in the NEESRWM Center while contributing to the academic program of the Department of Chemistry. The Deans of the College of Science and Chair of the Department of Chemistry have supported this effort and the Provost has approved the position with the search to begin next year. Thus, this proposal seeks supplementary funds for the start-up package for the approved junior faculty position. The successful candidate is expected to teach undergraduate and graduate-level radiochemistry and actinide chemistry courses as well as advise MS and PhD students. Additionally, the successful candidate is expected to develop a high-quality, well-funded sponsored research program, and be recognized within the American Chemical Society.
• U.S. N.R.C. Fellowship Education Grant at Clemson University
  Fellowships are requested to support an average of two graduate students per year in the nuclear environmental engineering and science (NEES) program within the Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences Department at Clemson University. Fellowship students will pursue a course of study in either Environmental Health Physics (ABET-ANSAC accredited at MS level) or Environmental Radiochemistry. Fellowship selection will be made from a pool of students who are US citizens and awarded based on academic merit (> 3.3 GPA) with consideration given to financial need and the goal of promoting the participation of women and students from other underrepresented groups. Generally, different students will be funded from year to year depending on merit and need, with a total of 6 to 9 students supported over four years. The NEES program began as a graduate only academic program established in the early 1980’s. The program focuses on the environmental aspects of nuclear technologies, including environmental health physics, radioecology, radioactive waste processing, environmental risk assessment, the nuclear fuel cycle, radiation detection and measurement, environmental radiochemistry, and environmental remediation. Since 2015, the average number of enrolled M.S. and Ph.D. students in our degree programs has been about 20 per year, with an average of 4-5 graduating per year. The continued success of the program demonstrates the strength of the interdisciplinary approach to education and research in the nuclear environmental sciences. This proposal is requesting a continuation of our current NRC fellowship grant that was awarded in 2018.
• Coupling Life-Cycle Impact Assessment and Risk Assessment for Sustainability-Informed Decision
  To support the role of nuclear energy in the fight against escalating climate change, the nuclear enterprise must reframe critical assesssments that drive decision-making. Integration of life cycle assessment with radiological risk assessment will cross disciplinary boundaries, forcing clarity in communication of approximations and outcomes that will drive public confidence in the decision making outcomes. We propose to integrate life cycle impact assessment and risk assessment to provide regulatory guidance with respect to key fuel cycle issues, specifically a shifting fuel supply chain and an aging generation of nuclear power reactors. For the former, a shift from U.S. dependency on nuclear fuel from Russia requires a clear assessemnt of the risks and impacts associated with expanded U.S. uranium mining. For the later, life cycle impacts for decommissioning aging U.S. reactors will provide extended guidance for decision-making that can help avoid premature closure. Further, the potential for decontamination and reuse of construction materials after decommissioning may reduce the overall life cycle impacts of nuclear technologies. Overall, complex interdependencies of climate change, energy security, and aging nuclear infrastructure require interdisciplinary solutions.

  Scope:

• SRR Technical Support Provided by Clemson University
  SRR presently has transport experiments underway at the Radionuclide Field Lysimeter Experiment (RadFlex) Facility at the Savannah River National Laboratory. In these experiments, radionuclides are buried in 5-L containers that are open to precipitation. Leachate is collected from these lysimeters to provide a time-dependent measure of radionuclide transport through the 2-foot long columns. The cementitious sources contain 1) radionuclide-free cementitious material (control), 2) Tc-99 and stable iodine, and 3) a suite of gamma emitters, Cs-137, Co-60, Ba-133, and Eu-152. The soil sediment sources contain 1) Pu(V)NH4(CO3), 2) Cs-137, Co-60, Ba-133, and Eu-152, 3) Np(V)-237, 4) Pu(III)-oxalate, 5) Pu(IV)-oxalate, 6) Colloidal Pu and 7) radionuclide-free soil sediment material (control). In this work, analytical methods have been developed/adopted to measure the radionuclide concentrations in the effluent recovered from the RadFLEx facility lysimeters as well as perform destructive solid phase analysis on selected lysimeters removed from the RadFLEx facility. This work helps to revised Performance Assessments (PA) used to estimate the potential human risk associated with disposing of radioactive waste in a subsurface facility. Parameters describing the extent that a radionuclide interacts with solids at the source, vadose zone, and aquifer greatly influence the extent of calculated risk.
• Reactive Membranes for Rapid Isotopic Analyses of Waterborne Special Nuclear Material
  This multidisciplinary research effort will develop the basic science associated with a new class of reactive membranes for rapid isotopic quantification of waterborne special nuclear material (SNM). Comprehensive and systematic studies will be done to test the hypothesis that reactive membranes with U and Pu selective ligands will enable the rapid concentration of samples from solution and simultaneously prepare substrates for direct isotopic analyses and, after addition of scintillating quantum dot coatings, quantitative elemental analyses. The work will provide a deep understanding of the roles of membrane type, degree of SNM loading, and quantum dot characteristics and coating thickness on the SNM analyses. The analytical methods utilizing the proposed materials will be simple and will allow measurements to be conducted in the field. Thus, the ultimate outcome will be a fast and reliable method to conduct forensics of debris from a nuclear event by integrating the science of reactive membranes for SNM isolation and concentration with accurate nuclear spectroscopy for activity and isotope quantification. The proposed rapid radiometric nuclear forensics tool currently is not available, even for laboratory analyses.
• Energize: An Interactive Evaluation Tool for Engaging the General Public with Energy Decision Making
  The public has an ever increasing interest in the economic, environmental, and social impacts of the global energy production. The Fukushima Daiichi accident brought renewed awareness to the international implications of nuclear energy. However, to make marked impact on climate change, nuclear energy is a vital component of the overall electrical energy portfolio. To support informed decision making, the scientific community has a responsibility to communicate reliable and straight-forward information to the general public, in an engaging way, regarding energy systems and how choices made at different stages of an energy technology life cycle can impact the cost, amount of materials used, and waste produced. We propose to develop an interactive electrical energy simulator through which users can interact with one another in their quest to develop an electrical energy portfolio that optimizes economic (e.g., gross domestic product), environmental (e.g., reduced CO2 emissions), and social (e.g., public opinion) impacts. Individual users will be introduced to the simulation environment as follows: “Congratulations on your new appointment as the CEO for . As CEO, you make both operational and policy decisions about your company’s electrical energy portfolio. Concerns such as improving emissions standards and reducing consumer costs are examples of the issues you will face. Best of luck!”. Each user will be presented with a map of the game world, given an initial electrical energy portfolio, and prompted to start taking action. Users will work individually and within the simulation community to meet target energy demands while limiting cost and environmental impact by adjusting their energy portfolio. Particular emphasis will be placed on the nuclear fuel cycle, comparing different fuel cycle technologies using the data from the DOE Nuclear Fuel Cycle Options Catalog.
• Discriminatory Transcriptional Response of Environmental Microorganisms and Microbial Communities to Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation
  The objective of this project is to determine if transcriptional response of environmental microorganisms to radiation exposure can provide discrimination of radiation type through use of representative isotopes and exposures relevant to the sensing of nuclear activities. The ultimate goal will be to develop radionuclide biosensors based on the unique signature of a radionuclide source. Initial studies will be conducted to determine the transcriptional responses of model microorganisms exposed to gamma, beta, alpha, and neutron radiations. Both the initial (immediately post-exposure) and delayed (multiple time points post-exposure) changes will be investigated to find long-lived signals of radiation exposure. The above information will be consolidated into a comprehensive picture of microbial response, elucidating unique signatures of the radiations considered; these signatures can be used to create radionuclide specific biosensors. The scientific impact of this work includes gaining a better understanding of the impact of low-dose radiation exposure on microbial systems associated with the environment (soil and aquatic) and human microbiota, which has high applicability to nuclear forensics. Detection of nuclear fuel cycle, enrichment, and weapon development activities is critical for supporting warfighter preparation in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) operations, nuclear compliance, and clandestine activities. Radiation detection systems can be sensitive to low levels of radiation, but have three limitations: (1) they must be placed near a radioactive source; (2) they can be easily identified and avoided; and (3) they report the radioactivity at a particular moment in time. Microbial biosensors based on transcriptional changes have the potential to monitor and report on nuclear fuel cycle, enrichment, and weapon development activities with the advantage of being unattended and able to report on radioactivity that used to be present but has moved.
• Center for Hierarchal Waste Form Materials
  Developing the ability of predicting and synthesizing new tunnel structures to determine their phase stability and to investigate ion transport within the tunnels, as well as the development of detailed knowledge regarding the mechanisms of radiation effects that impact the structures and the fundamental stability of hierarchical materials.
• CAREER: Light, Materials, Interaction! Integrating Research and Education from High school to Graduate School
  The performance of scintillators and dosimeters is related to, among other things, the presence of electronic traps that correspond to localized energy levels within the band gap generated by defects like vacancies, interstitials, impurities, etc. This project is the first comprehensive investigation that relates characteristics of luminescent materials such as chemical composition and crystallographic structure to the specific characteristics of electronic traps. Within this context, the goals of this project include the investigation of relationships between the structure of families of materials and dopants with the nature and characteristics of their electronic traps and their luminescent/scintillating properties, as well as guided discovery of new compositions and development of luminescent materials in diverse forms to answer for scintillating and dosimetric needs. Given the serendipitous nature of the discovery of scintillators and dosimeters to date, this project offers an innovative and transformative approach toward engineering electronic traps in luminescent materials to guide discovery, create functionality, and enhance performance of dosimeters and scintillators. Within this research, undergraduate and graduate students will be trained in cutting-edge research methods and techniques related to synthesis, processing, and characterization of inorganic luminescent materials.
• in situ Measurement and Validation of Uranium Molten Salt Properties at Operationally Relevant Temperatures
  Since the Generation IV International Forum recognized the unique capabilities of molten salt reactors (MSR), the U. S. Department of Energy has been supporting its development. A major technical hurdle to the deployment of MSR is the lack of understanding of how the structure and dynamics of molten salts impact their physical and chemical properties such as viscosity, solubility, volatility, and thermal conductivity. Specifically, the local and intermediate structure as well as speciation of the salt components at operationally relevant temperatures must be determined. To address this challenge, this project proposes to use advanced spectroscopic and scattering methods to provide information at the atomic and molecular scale. In this project, synchrotron-based x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy will be used at operationally relevant temperatures to measure the local and intermediate structure as well as speciation of chloride fuel salts (NaCl, ZrCl, UCl3) for fast-spectrum applications and fluoride fuel salts (7LiF, UF4) primarily for thermal spectrum applications. Uranium chloride and fluoride materials will be provided through an informal collaboration with ORNL. Speciation of oxidation state in uranium fuel salts will be performed by examining the xray absorption near edge structure (XANES) across the uranium L3 absorption edge. The interatomic spacing and coordination of the molten salt will be determined by measuring its extended x-ray absorption fine spectra (EXAFS). Synchrotron access and high temperature heater design will be performed through an informal collaboration with SSRL. Raman spectroscopy will be used by this project to measure and confirm the local structural coordination of molten salt species. To take advantage the greater understanding of the structure of the molten salt systems, the modified quasi-chemical model of the thermodynamics of solutions will be extended to utilize realistic types of species and their concentrations as provided by the measurements. The results will be used to demonstrate thermodynamic models for complex solutions with the next level of fidelity in representing molten salts as well as providing immediately useful properties for compositions of interest, such as viscosity, solubility, volatility, and thermal conductivity. This approach is expected to generate theories and concepts that would allow models to predict behavior, and develop the means for in situ monitoring. Development of this method will leverage the work conducted on molten salts at ORNL, synchrotron-based x-ray spectroscopy measurements by SSRL, as well as team efforts on synchrotron x-ray spectroscopy and molten salt research by the team in past NEUP projects and DOE Energy Frontiers Research Centers.
• Joint Faculty Appointment for Dr. Nicole Martinez
  The proposed scope of work by Dr. Martinez is to provide technical support for development and reporting of new radiation dose and risk models and radiation protection guidelines for the following sponsors: Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Defense (DoD), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In addition to assistance in CRPK’s traditional support for these and other federal agencies and international radiation protection organizations, collaboration with Dr. Martinez through a Joint Faculty Appointment would facilitate the expansion of CRPK’s expertise to a wider range of environmental risk assessment issues including migration of radionuclides through the food chain and accumulation of internally deposited radionuclides in wildlife.
• Solid State Ionics – Multiscale Modeling
  The research tasks outlined below are proposed to advance fundamental understanding of solid-state ionic materials by addressing compositional development through density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, explore the impact of optimized compositions with microstructural modifications, and characterize interfacial phenomena that could impact advanced manufacturing of thin film ion conductors. Dr. Lindsay Shuller-Nickles is an associate professor in the department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences (EE&ES) at Clemson University. She will oversee the proposed work, advise students on computational tasks, and work collaboratively with experimentalists with experimentalists. The overall objectives of the work will be to perform multiscale modeling of solid state ionic materials.
• Developing a Thermochemical Database of Radionuclide Reactions at the Mineral-Water Interface for Improved Nuclear Waste Repository Performance Assessment
  The goal of this project is to develop a robust and self-consistent database of thermodynamic constants describing radionuclide reactions at the mineral–water interface (e.g., surface complexation reactions). The development of this thermochemical database will increase the accuracy of input parameters for nuclear waste repository performance assessments and will provide a vast resource for advancing our understanding of the fundamental chemistry driving radionuclide reactions at the mineral–water interface. No such database currently exists, precluding efforts of the DOE-NE to include surface complexation modeling in safety assessment calculations. To remedy this problem, this work will create a publically–accessible database of thermodynamic constants (i.e., free energies, enthalpies, and entropies) for surface complexation reactions. The database will be fully consistent with thermodynamic data describing radionuclide reactions in the aqueous phase that are currently available in other databases (e.g., “LLNL” database1), and the database will provide constants that can be directly incorporated into geochemical modeling software (e.g., PHREEQC, MINTEQA2, etc.). Initially, we will populate the database with data describing the sorption of several risk driving radionuclides (79Se, 152Eu, 226Ra, 237Np, 234,235,238U, 238,239,242Pu, and 241Am) onto iron (hydro)oxide minerals formed during steel corrosion. Although this is a limited class of minerals, budgetary and time constraints require this effort to target a key group of radioisotopes and minerals, with the expectation that continued development of the database will expand the available thermodynamic constants to other radionuclide/mineral systems. In total, this work will provide a more robust, thermodynamically–consistent framework with which to describe radionuclide interactions with mineral surfaces and to assess the human and environmental risks associated with nuclear waste disposal.
• Quantifying Radionuclide Sorption to Engineered Barrier Materials under Elevated Temperature and Ionic Strength Conditions
  The objective of this research is to examine mechanisms and thermodynamics of actinide sorption to engineered barrier materials (iron (oxyhydr)oxides and bentonite clay) for nuclear waste repositories under high temperature and high ionic strength conditions using a suite of macroscopic and microscopic techniques which will be coupled with interfacial reaction models. This work directly addresses several of the expressed needs in Technical Work Scope Identifier FC-4 including improved understanding of (1) “surface sorption at elevated temperatures and geochemical conditions…relevant to deep geologic disposal environments” and (2) “…material degradation processes…considering direct interactions with canister and buffer materials in a repository environment…leading to improved models to represent…long term performance.” These data will provide an understanding of the fundamental reaction mechanisms occurring at the mineral-water interface. A greater understanding of these processes will reduce the uncertainty in strategies for sequestration of radionuclide bearing wastes. Overall this project will increase our understanding of radionuclide interfacial reactions and help to ensure human and environmental health are protected during treatment and disposal of radionuclide bearing wastes.
• Discerning Influences from Enthalpy and Entropy at Aqueous Interfaces Involved in Biomass Conversions in Porous
  Solvents can profoundly impact catalytic performance; hence, catalyst optimization requires understanding the ways that solvent molecules influence catalytic chemistry. This project will couple molecular simulation techniques involving quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics with data science strategies to provide fundamental, molecular level insights into the roles that solvent molecules have on zeolite catalysis. Zeolites are porous aluminosilicates that are widely used as catalysts because of their acidic structures. This project will investigate combinations of physical, chemical, and structural properties of solvent molecules, catalytic species, and zeolite pores to reveal those combinations that drive catalytic function. As a variety of reactions important to industry and fundamental research are carried out in zeolite catalysts under liquid conditions, these insights will be broadly useful. Further, this project will contribute to the Catalysis Science missions to understand reaction mechanisms, reaction environments, and active sites in diverse chemical environments, specifically within confinement in porous materials, and to advance theory, modeling, and data-science approaches to understanding catalytic phenomena.
• Optimizing Melt Processed Phosphate Glass Waste Forms via Composition-Property-Structure Correlations
  The proposed study on composition-property-structure correlations of phosphate glasses is aimed to further optimize the waste forms by pushing the limit of salt loading while targeting high chemical durability and easily processing with present technologies. To complement the work conducted on glass waste forms at the national laboratories sponsored by the DOE-NE program, overall specific objectives are: 1) investigation of Fe:P ratio-waste loading relationship of iron phosphate glass waste forms; 2) investigation of modified iron phosphate glass waste forms by adding various glass modifiers (SnF2 and BaO); 3) advance fundamental scientific understanding of composition-property-structure relationship of phosphate glasses. Multiple monolithic waste form test samples will be provided to the DOE national laboratories for further testing.
• Microstructural and phase characterization of coated Mo based alloys
  The scope of work of this project in Clemson University (CU) is the characterization of microstructure, chemical information, mechanical property of samples provided by LANL to understand interactions between the core monolith materials and the cladding of heat pipes in a microreactor design. CU will be tasked with obtaining detailed microstructural characterization, optical, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on as coated Mo or Mo based alloys. Coatings will include variations of carbides, nitrides and oxides and these samples will be provided by LANL. Additionally, CU will be responsible for detailed characterization, optical, SEM, TEM as needed, of thermally annealed diffusion couples of coated samples with a carbon source to investigate the chemical and phase stability of the coating under the examined conditions and its performance as a carbon barrier coating. Crystallographic characterization through X-ray diffraction (XRD) will also be performed to examine if additional phases have been formed in situ during the diffusion couple tests. Basic mechanical properties such as hardness and fracture toughness will also be determined prior and following the annealing diffusion couple tests. Small-scale mechanical behavior may be investigated using in-situ electron microscopy. Other characterization and testing activities may be added, as needed, to expand and compliment the information obtained from the samples as required by the ongoing research.
• Uranium in Tims Branch South: Response to SOW 0000551831
  Clemson University shall provide field and laboratory support related to a uranium geochemistry study conducted by the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to quantify the mass of uranium released into the Tims Branch South wetland. Furthermore, they shall conduct spectroscopic studies to characterize the uranium to help understand how the uranium was able to evade natural attenuation processes in the wetland system. The specific tasks that Clemson University shall conduct are: 1) assist in the gamma-spectroscopy field survey to be conducted in Tims Branch South wetland, 2) determine the concentration depth profile of six 60cm-long sediment cores for uranium, organic matter, iron, and titanium, 3) conduct scanning electronic microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDX) analyses of twenty sediment samples recovered from the cores used in Task 2 to characterize morphology and elemental composition of “hot particles” (particles with high concentrations of uranium), and 4) report all results in a memo to the Cognitive Technical Function, assist in the writing of a journal publication, and participate in monthly status conference calls.
• EM-ENHANCED HyPOR LOOP FOR FAST FUSION FUEL CYCLES
  The project will develop and test an integrated process that can selectively remove heavier hydrogen isotopes from pump oil (target of 99.5 % removal, with the uptake of 0.01% of tritium throughput), while also purifying the oil of radiation-induced damage. The recycled oil will retain its pumping characteristics, and hydrogen isotopes and impurities will be extracted in gaseous form for further processing in the tritium plant. This process will be scalable to a throughput of 6 gal/day and enable the use of commercial vacuum pump systems that can achieve speeds of >100 m3/s at 1 – 10 Pa. The challenge of developing a pump oil detritiation system will be addressed holistically by approaching it from two different fronts: (1) pump oil development and (2) detritiation process optimization. For oil development, commercially available poly-aromatic hydrocarbons and poly-phenyl ethers have low vapor pressures, relevant low viscosities around or below room temperature, outstanding radiation resistance, and less exchangeable hydrogens will be assessed for isotope exchange and reversal, radiation-induced damage, and pumping performance. For the detritiation process, a catalytic process will be developed to harness electromagnetic energy and utilize optimized catalysts to degas volatile impurities, promote isotope exchange, and sequester polar impurities and convert them to processable gases.
• Characterization of Radionuclide Migration at the Savannah River Site Pond B - Year 3
  Professor Brian Powell, Clemson University (CU, Subcontractor) was part of LLNL’s SFA competitive, renewal proposal that was successfully funded from FY19-FY21. In the proposal, Dr. Powell’s contribution in FY20 was to have him and his research group lead the field sampling effort of Pond B at the Savannah River Site and continue his long-term study of Pu and Np migration in field lysimeters deployed at the SRS. In FY19, Dr. Powell’s group began collecting sediment cores, deployed diffusion samplers, and began monthly measurements of the pond water geochemical conditions as a function of depth. In FY20, the CU team’s focus will be on leading the Pond B monthly characterization efforts and sampling activities and completing the analysis of radionuclide distribution profiles in collected sediment cores. The CU team will also complete one manuscript summarizing the distribution of radionuclides in Pond B sediment cores and comparing those results to cores collected at Pond B in the 1980’s.
• Demonstration to Determine and Evaluate the Effect of Radiological Sources in Sediment on Marine Biota
  The effect of discrete radioactive material (RAM) like radium painted dials and paint chips on marine biota and the corresponding food web is not well quantified. Current practices to remediate sites with discrete RAM involve removal of de minimis RAM objects, which can significantly increase costs and delay projects. This work will aid in the determination of whether discrete RAM objects are detrimental to ocean biota. The overall approach is three pronged; 1) literature review and desktop analysis to determine maximum potential concentrations of radionuclides in sediment and water from discrete RAM objects 2) evaluation of radionuclide leaching from discrete RAM objects and 3) evaluation of the potential biological impacts.

Recently Ended Grants and Projects

• Nuclear Faculty Development at Clemson University
  Executive Summary: This proposal seeks start-up package funds for a new tenure-track faculty position that can contribute to the academic and research goals of the Center for Nuclear Environmental Engineering Sciences and Radioactive Waste Management (NEESRWM) at Clemson University. This faculty member will develop a unique research program that complements existing expertise within NEESRWM. During a recent self-assessment of NEESRWM, five teaching/research areas were identified which are independent but complimentary to our current teams expertise. Filling these gaps will enable our team to develop a wider range of larger, multidisciplinary projects. Given the wide range of educational and research needs of the nuclear community, it is critical to produce graduates who can understand and address the multifaceted problems that arise from nuclear power production. We desire a faculty candidate will have expertise in materials in extreme environments, nuclear separations, actinide chemistry, nuclear imaging, medical physics or a closely related field. The faculty candidate could have an earned degree in nuclear, mechanical or chemical engineering, or in material science, physics or chemistry. The goal is to hire the best candidate to complement the research expertise in the NEESRWM Center while contributing to the academic program of their home department as well as the Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences minor. Considering the range of potential research areas described above, the home department of the successful candidate would be in the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences or in the College of Science. The Deans of these respective colleges have agreed to this cross-college search to find the top candidate and the Provost has approved the position with the search to begin next year. Thus, this proposal seeks supplementary funds for the start-up package for the approved junior faculty position. The successful candidate is expected to teach undergraduate and graduate-level nuclear engineering and radiological science courses as well as advise MS and PhD students. Additionally, the successful candidate is expected to develop a high-quality, well-funded sponsored research program, and be recognized within their respective professional society.
• US NRC Fellowship Education Grant at Clemson University
  Fellowships are requested to support three graduate students per year in the nuclear environmental engineering and science (NEES) program within the Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences Department at Clemson University. Fellowship students will pursue a course of study in either Environmental Health Physics (ABET-ASAC accredited at MS level) or Environmental Radiochemistry. Fellows will conduct their thesis/dissertation research in collaboration with an outside partner such as a national laboratory, utility, or regulatory agency. This will provide fellows with an opportunity both to interact with a practicing professional and to conduct research that contributes to the solution of a contemporary technical issue in the nuclear sector. The NEES program is a graduate only academic program established in the early 1980’s. The program focuses on the environmental aspects of nuclear technologies, including environmental health physics, radioecology, radioactive waste processing, environmental risk assessment, the nuclear fuel cycle, radiation detection and measurement, environmental radiochemistry, and environmental remediation. Over the past five years, the average number of enrolled M.S. and Ph.D. students in our degree programs has been > 20 per year, with an average of about five graduating per year. The continued success of the program demonstrates the strength of the interdisciplinary approach to education and research in the nuclear environmental sciences. This proposal is requesting a continuation of our proposal that was awarded in 2012.
• Discriminatory Transcriptional Response of Environmental Microorganisms and Microbial Communities to Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation
  The objective of this project is to determine if transcriptional response of environmental microorganisms to radiation exposure can provide discrimination of radiation type through use of representative isotopes and exposures relevant to the sensing of nuclear activities. The ultimate goal will be to develop radionuclide biosensors based on the unique signature of a radionuclide source. Initial studies will be conducted to determine the transcriptional responses of model microorganisms exposed to gamma, beta, alpha, and neutron radiations. Both the initial (immediately post-exposure) and delayed (multiple time points post-exposure) changes will be investigated to find long-lived signals of radiation exposure. The above information will be consolidated into a comprehensive picture of microbial response, elucidating unique signatures of the radiations considered; these signatures can be used to create radionuclide specific biosensors. The scientific impact of this work includes gaining a better understanding of the impact of low-dose radiation exposure on microbial systems associated with the environment (soil and aquatic) and human microbiota, which has high applicability to nuclear forensics. Detection of nuclear fuel cycle, enrichment, and weapon development activities is critical for supporting warfighter preparation in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) operations, nuclear compliance, and clandestine activities. Radiation detection systems can be sensitive to low levels of radiation, but have three limitations: (1) they must be placed near a radioactive source; (2) they can be easily identified and avoided; and (3) they report the radioactivity at a particular moment in time. Microbial biosensors based on transcriptional changes have the potential to monitor and report on nuclear fuel cycle, enrichment, and weapon development activities with the advantage of being unattended and able to report on radioactivity that used to be present but has moved.
• Characterization of Actinide Migration in Field Lysimeter Experiment
  This project is a subcontract facilitating participation in the DOE Subsurface Biogeochemical Research program’s BioGeoChemistry of Actinides Scientific Focus Area. The overarching abstract of the project is below and additional details can be found here: https://doesbr.org/research/sfa/sfa_llnl.shtml Over 2,630 metric tons of plutonium (Pu) are estimated to have been produced worldwide, with approximately 70-90 metric tons added to this inventory each year from spent nuclear fuel. A subset of this Pu inventory has been released into the environment as a result of nuclear weapons production, weapons testing, poor waste management and nuclear accidents. The migration of Pu in the environment has been documented on the scale of kilometers. Pu and the other actinides (e.g. U, Np) are also predicted to be significant long-term dose contributors in high-level nuclear waste. As a result, actinides represent a significant long-term environmental and public health risk. Understanding their behavior in the environment is critical for managing environmental contamination and planning for the safe, long-term isolation of nuclear waste from the biosphere. The focus of the BioGeoChemistry of Actinides SFA is to identify and quantify the biogeochemical processes and the underlying mechanisms that control actinide mobility in an effort to reliably predict and control the cycling and migration of actinides in the environment. The research approach includes (1) Field Studies that capture actinide behavior on the timescale of decades and (2) Fundamental Laboratory Studies that isolate specific biogeochemical processes observed in the field. Located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, this SFA harnesses the capabilities and staff expertise unique to this national laboratory to advance our understanding of actinide behavior in the environment and serve as an international resource for environmental radiochemistry research.
• Support of Organosodalite Sorbents for Tc-99 and I-129 Remediation-NSCB00015
  Among proposed remedial technologies are structural immobilization and stabilization of anionic radionuclides (Tc-99 and I-129) in low-temperature waste forms, such as crystalline frameworks and clay/resin-based sorbents. This remedial strategy has been mostly ineffective due to higher concentration of other competing ions commonly encountered in contaminated groundwater and nuclear waste streams. A proposed alternative approach is to leverage the use of quaternary amine silver-substituted sodalite (organosodalite or ALSOF) to sequester both anions for long-term storage. Silver-based compounds, clays and resin composites functionalized with organic modifiers such as quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) generally exhibit enhanced affinity for hydrophobic anions such as Tc and I, and are employed for remediation of anionic contaminants. The relatively high cost and moderate affinity for TcO4- and I−/IO3- in the presence of higher concentration of competing anions (e.g., NO3- and CO32-) limit the overall effectiveness of organoclays and QAC-based resin sorbents. Moreover, many of these sorbents are thermodynamically unstable and prone to degradation. The porous matrix of ALSOF, which can irreversibly trap anionic radionuclides, are exceptionally stable under a wide range of environmental conditions, including essentially all pH conditions and temperature up to 500 °C. Thus, the objective of this project is to develop advanced ALSOF sorbent for irreversible sequestration of TcO4- and I-/IO3-. Due to the functionality of the 3-dimensional porous framework, selective removal of both anions is feasible even in the presence of higher concentrations of other competing ions. This work could significantly advance the long- term remedial strategy of leveraging novel ALSOF materials for safe disposition of Tc and I containing waste streams at SRS and other DOE sites.
• Joint Appointment (JA) - Support of Laboratory Research and Development
  In this project, Clemson University has engaged Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) through a joint appointment to support existing and upcoming activities in the broad spectrum of Research and Development (R&D). The appointee, Professor Brian A. Powell, will provide onsite support throughout the year. The goal is to support the following overarching activities. • Enhance engagement and alignment of academic R&D with the SRNL mission; • Create a new recruitment tool for attracting top scientific and engineering faculty to advance technology and discovery relevant to SRNL priorities; • Give students and interns an array of unique opportunities to interact with SRNL, creating a new pipeline for recruiting and retaining talent; • Provide university access to SRNL employees and its specialized instrumentation as appropriate; • Allow greater participation by academia in specific proposals that might otherwise be impossible; and • Extend the external visibility and recognition of SRNL to relevant stakeholders and communities.
• Radionuclide Waste Disposal: Development of Multi-scale Experimental and Modeling Capabilities
  The overarching goal of this project is to understand the conditions under which important classes of co-reactants, ranging from counter ions in crystal lattices to dissolved oxygen in pores, control the chemistry and transport characteristics of radionuclides in engineered waste forms and natural soils. Our approach seeks to characterize the time and length scales over which non-equilibrium states are maintained by rate-limiting, or rate-enhancing, reactions between radionuclides and co-reactants due to interactions between physical mass-transfer processes (i.e., advection, diffusion) and (biogeo)chemical reactions. We have focused our project on three specific classes of reactions relevant to radionuclide transport at DOE legacy sites: ion exchange/substitution, ligand complexation, and redox-mediated reactions. Understanding radionuclide migration requires detailed knowledge of how changes to a system – whether engineered or natural – drive the behavior of co-reactants, which in turn provide the geochemical context controlling radionuclide transport. During the first phase of this EPSCoR Implementation project, we developed a team of scientists and engineers from three South Carolina universities and engaged 20 undergraduate students, 29 graduate students, and 13 postdoctoral fellows. Major infrastructure outcomes from the project include design, construction, and operation of 1) a highly instrumented field lysimeter testbed to monitor radionuclide leaching from waste forms and transport in soils; and 2) a unique nuclear imaging facility at Clemson capable of 1D, 2D; and, 3D measurements of radionuclide distribution. In the renewal phase, we will build on these scientific contributions and infrastructure developments to focus on integrated fate and transport experiments. An overarching theme is the examination of the coupling or competition between rates of (biogeo)chemical reactions and reagent fluxes as modified by heterogeneous distributions of materials in a porous medium (i.e., waste forms, soils, or aquifers). The experiments will involve assessing the fate and transport of co-reactants and their relation to structural and chemical heterogeneity in a variety of scenarios. For example, competition between chemical versus hydrologic controls on Tc behavior within reducing (titanomagnetite) zones will be investigated using SPECT/CT imaging, complimented by other sensing and modeling techniques to capture the influence of oxygen diffusion, oxidation of Fe(II) and Tc(IV), and preferential flow on the potential leaching of Tc(VII). Comparing transport and reaction rates informed by an integrated suite of geochemical, imaging, and geophysical data will highlight the processes and mechanisms controlling DOE environmental risk drivers.
• Clemson University Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences Scholarship Program
  Scholarships are requested to support up to 8 undergraduate students per semester at Clemson University. Scholarship students will be preferentially awarded to those actively pursuing the new Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Science (NERS) minor. Scholars will be encouraged to participate in a summer internship with an outside partner such as a national laboratory, utility, or regulatory agency. This will provide scholars with an opportunity both to interact with a practicing professional and to apply their academic knowledge in the nuclear sector. An evening networking event will be conducted annually in association with the career fair, which is sponsored by Clemson’s nationally recognized career center. This networking event with allow our NERS scholars to interact informally with people employed in nuclear-related jobs. The scholarship program is a means to advertise and attract Clemson’s best and brightest undergraduate students into our developing NERS minor, which is built on almost forty years of experience in a graduate only Nuclear Environmental Engineering and Science academic program housed within the department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences. The minor enriches engineering and science undergraduates with knowledge on nuclear specific topics, including introduction to nuclear engineering, environmental health physics, radioactive waste management, environmental risk assessment, the nuclear fuel cycle, radiation detection and measurement. The scholarship program is expected to attract the top students from: Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, and Physics, for participation in the NERS minor. Continued growth of the NERS minor will lead to a larger and more competitive applicant pool for the NERS scholarship.
• Energize: An Interactive Evaluation Tool for Engaging the General Public with Energy Decision Making
  The public has an ever increasing interest in the economic, environmental, and social impacts of the global energy production. The Fukushima Daiichi accident brought renewed awareness to the international implications of nuclear energy. However, to make marked impact on climate change, nuclear energy is a vital component of the overall electrical energy portfolio. To support informed decision making, the scientific community has a responsibility to communicate reliable and straight-forward information to the general public, in an engaging way, regarding energy systems and how choices made at different stages of an energy technology life cycle can impact the cost, amount of materials used, and waste produced. We propose to develop an interactive electrical energy simulator through which users can interact with one another in their quest to develop an electrical energy portfolio that optimizes economic (e.g., gross domestic product), environmental (e.g., reduced CO2 emissions), and social (e.g., public opinion) impacts. Individual users will be introduced to the simulation environment as follows: “Congratulations on your new appointment as the CEO for <company_name>. As CEO, you make both operational and policy decisions about your company’s electrical energy portfolio. Concerns such as improving emissions standards and reducing consumer costs are examples of the issues you will face. Best of luck!”. Each user will be presented with a map of the game world, given an initial electrical energy portfolio, and prompted to start taking action. Users will work individually and within the simulation community to meet target energy demands while limiting cost and environmental impact by adjusting their energy portfolio. Particular emphasis will be placed on the nuclear fuel cycle, comparing different fuel cycle technologies using the data from the DOE Nuclear Fuel Cycle Options Catalog.
• AMRL Microscopy Center Instrumentation and Data Preparation (NSCB000012)
  Morphological and structural characterization of actinide materials can serve as a fingerprint for the process history of an unknown sample. Much of the details linking specific fuel cycle processes with unique materials’ signatures is classified; thus, not included as the background for this proposal. However, morphological evaluation has been used to characterize nuclear melt glass samples to understand the formation of specific compounds after a nuclear detonation. In a similar fashion, electron microscopy can be used to characterize plutonium oxide processing history. Further, structural characterization using electron backscattered diffraction, can determine changes in crystalline structure that can be linked to materials’ process history as well as aging of environmental samples. The major objectives of this work is to transfer samples between SRNL and Clemson, prepare samples in a safe and effective manner, and analyze the samples using electron microscopy.
• Savannah River Remediation Technical Support Provided by Clemson University
  SRR presently has transport experiments underway at the Radionuclide Field Lysimeter Experiment (RadFlex) Facility at the Savannah River National Laboratory. In these experiments, radionuclides are buried in 5-L containers that are open to precipitation. Leachate is collected from these lysimeters to provide a time-dependent measure of radionuclide transport through the 2-foot long columns. The cementitious sources contain 1) radionuclide-free cementitious material (control), 2) Tc-99 and stable iodine, and 3) a suite of gamma emitters, Cs-137, Co-60, Ba-133, and Eu-152. The soil sediment sources contain 1) Pu(V)NH4(CO3), 2) Cs-137, Co-60, Ba-133, and Eu-152, 3) Np(V)-237, 4) Pu(III)-oxalate, 5) Pu(IV)-oxalate, 6) Colloidal Pu and 7) radionuclide-free soil sediment material (control). In this work, analytical methods have been developed/adopted to measure the radionuclide concentrations in the effluent recovered from the RadFLEx facility lysimeters as well as perform destructive solid phase analysis on selected lysimeters removed from the RadFLEx facility. This work helps to revised Performance Assessments (PA) used to estimate the potential human risk associated with disposing of radioactive waste in a subsurface facility. Parameters describing the extent that a radionuclide interacts with solids at the source, vadose zone, and aquifer greatly influence the extent of calculated risk.
• Examination of Actinide Chemistry at Solid-Water Interfaces to Support Advanced Actinide Separations
  abstract coming soon
• Robust Extractive Scintillating Resin and Adsorptive Membranes for Plutonium Isotopic Analyses of Aqueous Media
  The objective of this research is to advance scientific understanding in the development of high-selectivity sensor materials and high-sensitivity sensors for ultra-trace-level isotopic analysis of plutonium in aqueous media. The capability brought about by this research program to concentrate and detect plutonium in natural water with a single material would be a powerful nuclear forensics tool that is currently not available. Scope: 1. Design, synthesize, and characterize a new class of extractive scintillator resins that incorporate covalently bound scintillator molecules and selective ligands for simultaneous concentration and detection of plutonium in aqueous media. We will prepare two resin platforms for comparative testing: one incorporates ligands continuously throughout the resin matrix and the other isolates ligands within a polymer nanolayer adjacent to the resin-solution interface. The second type of resin will be prepared by grafting ligand-rich nanolayers from the resin surface using surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. Building off our prior experience developing extractive scintillators for other radionuclides, the focus of this grant will be on the identification and testing of ligands for the selective removal of plutonium from near-neutral waters. By positioning the extractive scintillator in front of a photomultiplier tube or other light sensitive device, the plutonium sorbed onto the resin can be quantified during the loading period. Subsequent to the plutonium loading, the sorbed radioactivity can be eluted from the column and prepared by nanofiltration for alpha spectroscopy. In the case where the ligand is not sufficiently selective for plutonium, the radioactivity can be eluted sequentially and the fractions prepared for alpha spectroscopy by nanofiltration. Design, synthesize, and characterize a new class of adsorptive membranes for the selective concentration of plutonium. Adsorptive membranes offer the possibility of higher solution flow rates combined with the possibility to perform direct alpha spectroscopy on the plutonium-loaded membranes. These membranes will be prepared with either the ligand bound or unbound to an ultrathin surface coating on an ultrafiltration support. A third strategy will attach the ligand to a polymer that is then suspended in solution prior to ultrafiltration. In all cases the end result is a membrane with a nearly ideal surface for direct isotopic determination via alpha spectroscopy
• Two-Day Workshop at SRS
  This proposed project will continue to refine lecture material for an introductory multidisciplinary course for junior and senior undergraduate students and graduate students in the areas of Advanced Nuclear Separation Science and Issues related to Safeguards and Non-proliferation in the South Carolina region. The material developed will be used in a two-day workshop held at SRNL and will be implemented in nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear forensics courses taught at Clemson University. The proposed work will integrate resources at Clemson University and Savannah River National Laboratory to include lectures from experts from national laboratories and DOE agencies. This proposal will also benefit other HCD thrust areas including safeguards internships, short courses, knowledge retention and mid-career transition. The proposed multidisciplinary course material integrates policy, technical and scientific topics relevant to the verification and monitoring of nuclear facilities under the NPT and Additional Protocol (INFCIRC-540). Current nuclear-related courses will include: guest lecturers from NL experts in the areas of separation science, safeguards, and international treaties; hands-on experience targeting concepts and approaches for the verification of separation facilities; and, visits to operational facilities such as MOX, H-Canyon, and Westinghouse fuel fabrication facility. Relevant topics and specific lectures will be identified and developed in consultation with NNSA HCD program managers and other experts on the field as required. A multi-step approach is proposed to build up the required knowledge, infrastructure and momentum to develop a safeguard curriculum with focus in advances nuclear separation.
• Reactive Membranes for Rapid Isotopic Analyses of Waterborne Special Nuclear Material
  This multidisciplinary research effort will develop the basic science associated with a new class of reactive membranes for rapid isotopic quantification of waterborne special nuclear material (SNM). Comprehensive and systematic studies will be done to test the hypothesis that reactive membranes with U and Pu selective ligands will enable the rapid concentration of samples from solution and simultaneously prepare substrates for direct isotopic analyses and, after addition of scintillating quantum dot coatings, quantitative elemental analyses. The work will provide a deep understanding of the roles of membrane type, degree of SNM loading, and quantum dot characteristics and coating thickness on the SNM analyses. The analytical methods utilizing the proposed materials will be simple and will allow measurements to be conducted in the field. Thus, the ultimate outcome will be a fast and reliable method to conduct forensics of debris from a nuclear event by integrating the science of reactive membranes for SNM isolation and concentration with accurate nuclear spectroscopy for activity and isotope quantification. The proposed rapid radiometric nuclear forensics tool currently is not available, even for laboratory analyses.
• Reliable Nuclear Materials Identification Technology from Spectroscopy Data
  The project will be focused on development of new algorithms and instruments for radioactive materials detection in order to increase control of the radioactive materials storage and to prevent their illicit shipment. The research is motivated by the quest for reliable means for early detection of these threats. The goal of suggested research is to develop low-cost neutron/gamma-ray detection systems for monitoring of radiological and nuclear threats. It will include development of the new algorithms for treating full spectra signals and developing new scintillator detectors. The approach will give the possibility of precise near real time identification of radioactive materials.
• Near-Earth Space Radiation Effects on Functional Ceramic Materials: A Combined Experimental-Monte Carlo Approach
  The research goal of this project is to further the understanding of space radiation damage in a variety of functional ceramic materials. This will be achieved through the combined investigation of chemical, structural and optical properties using non-destructive characterization techniques together with Monte Carlo calculations of the interaction of energetic ions with these materials and the evaluation of the materials specific functionalities.
• Radioactive Waste Disposal: Development of Multi-scale Experimental and Modeling Capabilities
  Read more about this project here.

NEESRWM Director: Dr. Tim DeVol
Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences | 342 Computer Court, Anderson, SC 29625 | (864) 656-1014