PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Naturally occurring radionuclides such as uranium (U) and radium (Ra) are present in water sources because of the dilution of rich radioactive isotope minerals in groundwater.
Radionuclides can be absorbed into the bloodstream and accumulate in tissues. World Health Organisation (WHO) studies show that there is a relationship between exposure to low or moderate doses of radioactivity through water consumption and the occurrence of cancer in the medium term. Indeed, radon (Rn) is the second-biggest cause of lung cancer after tobacco. Radionuclides in drinking water are also linked to liver damage, leukaemia, bone cancer, and stomach cancer.
The 2013 EU Directive on radioactive substances in drinking water sets out requirements for the protection of the public from these substances. However, radioactivity in water is still not systematically monitored at European level and there is a need for greater awareness of the issue.
Reverse osmosis (RO) is the most used technology in wastewater treatment plants for removing radionuclides. However, it has a very high carbon and water footprint, generating large volumes of rejected water containing radioactivity, which requires further treatment.
OBJECTIVES
LIFE ALCHEMIA aimed to demonstrate integrated and cost effective solutions for removing naturally-occurring radioactivity from drinking water, testing four different configurations at pilot plants in Spain and Estonia. These would be based on the use of bed filters and hydrous manganese oxide (HMO) technology.
Specific objectives were as follows:
- To implement four pilot plants (three bed filters and one HMO plant) to reduce the generation of naturally-occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in water by 90%;
- To reduce the cost of water depuration by up to five times compared to RO treatment;
- To analyse and manage the waste generated by the new water treatment process, as part of a life-cycle approach to radioactivity in water; and
- To replicate the results of the project at water treatment plants in five other European countries.
LIFE ALCHEMIA would promote the protection of human health against radioactive substances in drinking water, contributing directly to the implementation of 2013 EU Directive on radioactive substances in drinking water.
RESULTS
The LIFE ALCHEMIA project has demonstrated the technical and economic viability of a methodology based on bed filters for removing natural radioactivity from water and for minimising the generation of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM).
This methodology was optimised at three pilot plants located in the Spanish province of Almería (Alboloduy, Tahal, and Benizalón) and an additional plant in Viimsi, Estonia.
The project showed different removal percentages depending on the isotope. Radium isotopes showed better removal percentages than uranium isotopes due to different removal mechanisms.
On average, among the three plants, the following were observed:
- More than 80% removal of radium and 39% removal of uranium.
- High water (~77% mean) savings compared to reverse osmosis.
- High energy (~80% mean) savings compared to reverse osmosis.
In general, the treatment partially reduced the gross Alpha Activity of radioactive elements (48%); although it did not reach the projected limit, it did reduce the Indicative Dose (62%) below the limit, complying with the regulations in place.
The project carried out a life cycle analysis and a life cost cycle analysis, which showed that the project methodology compares favourably with the current technology installed at the Viimsi water treatment plant and with the reverse osmosis treatment applied in Spain. Furthermore, the beneficiaries have already replicated the project solution in two new drinking water treatment plants in Almería: the Benecid plant (T.M. Fondón) has been applying the technology since January 2020 and the Las Alcubillas plant (T.M. Gérgal) since December 2020. On the other hand, in 2022, it was decided that the pilot plant installed in the municipalities of Alboloduy and Benizalon would be reused to treat the groundwater intended to supply the municipalities of Lucainena de las Torres and Lucainena from Alcolea. Because the results of the project determined that the technology applied to eliminate natural radioactivity is not a solution in municipalities with high problems of salinity in the raw water and total alpha activity values that considerably exceed the parametric value established in Directive 98/83/EC on the quality of water intended for human consumption, as is the case of the municipalities of Alboloduy and Benizalón. Therefore, in November 2022, the installations of these movil plants were carried out in Lucainene de las Torres and Alcolea.
Finally, the project created a database of drinking water treatment plants for 12 EU Member States: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.
