Norm Management at the Former Prydniprovsky Chemical Plant in Ukraine

The Prydniprovsky Chemical Plant (PChP) was one of the largest uranium ore processing plants in Europe operating from 1948-1992. In total at this site and at the surrounding areas sufficient amounts of mine tailings, including residues from uranium extraction and remaining ore materials are accumulated, that can roughly be characterized into: (1) 72 million tons of waste rock piles from iron containing ore and other not clearly accounted for tailings as well as waste rock piles of uranium mining, (2) about 40 million tons of tailings from uranium ore processing, that include also (3) about 6 million tons of phosphogypsum stakes used to cover one of the uranium residues tailings. Residues of uranium ore from various deposits are also dispersed across the site. Partially these residues from uranium ore concentrate production and phospohogypsum can be recycled. Accordingly, the volume and cost of remediation measures at the radiological legacy site can be reduced since recycled unconventional resources can be sold. Besides the aforementioned materials, relevant amounts of low-radioactive wastewater of atmospheric origin are present at the site, particularly in basements of the former uranium extraction facilities. The wastewater needs to be processed on site before it can be released into the environment. This work provides an overview of the management practices of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) at the PChP site and also provides suggestions concerning possible pathways for processing (re-use and recycling) the residues from uranium processing such as tailings materials and phosphogypsum stakes as part of a sustainable remediation strategy. This analysis includes implications and limitations of principles of circular economy (e.g., legal and technological aspects) and the need for future-oriented interventions based on comprehensive system innovations aimed at sustainable development. (author)