Optimization of linings for prevention of radium dispersion from tailings

Liners, either natural or synthetic, are becoming a common feature of uranium tailings impoundments. Their design has been generally for the hydraulic isolation of tailings from their surroundings and, in most cases, they have not been designed for the selective containment of radium. Recently, however, some attention has been paid to designing and testing liners which have selective isolation capabilities for certain radionuclides, including radium. In this chapter, the design features of liners for hydrological and chemical isolation of tailings are reviewed. Included are discussions of both natural and synthetic liner systems for hydrological isolation and a neutralizing chemical barrier that has been proposed to reduce radium migration from tailings ponds. 60 refs, 3 figs, 5 tabs