[en] Sewage systems serve about 70% of the Austrian population, producing 6 million m³ of sewage sludge per year with a dry matter content of 4-5%. At present about 52% of this sludge is disposed of in land fills, 33% is incinerated, and only about 15 % is used in agriculture. Although agricultural utilization is becoming increasingly important, several problems, especially those related to public opinion, need to be resolved before increased use will be possible. In this paper, wastewater treatment and sewage-sludge production in Austria, and problems associated with sludge disposal are discussed. (author)

[en] The IAEA is making concerted efforts to promote R and D programmes for neutron beam research to assist the developing Member States in better utilization of their research reactors. A consultants meeting was organized on 16-19 March 1996 to review the current status and deliberate on the future trends in neutron beam based research using low and medium flux research reactors with the flux range of the order of up to 10¹³-10¹⁴ n/cm²/s, particularly in the light of recent advances in electronics and instrumentation. The participants focused on five specific topics: triple axis spectrometry, neutron depolarization studies, capillary optics, spin-echo spectrometry and small-angle neutron spectrometry. This TECDOC details the highlights of the discussions in the meeting along with the papers presented

[en] The neutron depolarisation technique is based on the change of polarisation of a polarised neutron beam in three dimensions after transmission through magnetic substances. This change yields the mean domain size, the mean square direction cosines of the domain magnetizations and the mean magnetisation. The method is complementary to other neutron scattering techniques with respect to the size of the inhomogeneities to be studied as well as the dynamic range accessible. The principles of the technique will be explained in some detail and demonstrated with a number of applications. (author)

[en] The report reviews the advantage and pitfalls of using uranium exploration data and techniques as well as other methods for the preparation of radioelement and radon maps for baseline information in environmental studies and monitoring

[en] The paper discusses the use of advanced Airborne Gamma Ray Spectrometer for environmental assessment of nuclear radiation in areas exposed to radioactive materials. The use of high capacity real time processors operating in parallel mode packaged into one mechanical enclosure together with navigation, allows implementation of highly sophisticated proprietary algorithms to produce results in absolute physical units. Airborne footprinting provides rapid, well defined spatial images of natural and manmade radioactive contamination. Integrated GPS guidance systems provides instant position information related to the internal geographical data base. Short time span of data acquisition provides consistent data. Airborne acquisition of data guarantees good spatial resolution. Airborne measurements are calculated via special algorithms in absolute units and related to the individual radioactive nuclei on the ground in real time. Full raw and calculated data recording is provided including the position coordinates. More precise results may be achieved via post flight processing. Principles of ground contamination estimates measured from the air and the sensitivities for different radioactive nuclei are also discussed. Results from an Ontario Hydro (Canada) test over a nuclear power plant, an Atom bomb blast measurements in Maralinga (Australia), after 40 years, and a Nuclear power plant in Slovakia and Uranium mining area in Germany are presented and discussed. (author)

[en] The continuous hazard of nuclear reactor failures, which may exceed in consequences that of the Chernobyl accident on 26 April 1986, makes it imperative for us to develop and introduce soil, water and air contamination control systems to protect the environment. A most efficient means of the contamination control at the artificial radioactive radiation sources is the complex MONITORING SYSTEM controlled from a centre by competent and recognised experts. Such systems have been used for years now many western world countries (USA, Canada, Sweden, etc.). The modest purpose of this paper is at least to leave a trace of the efforts, both individual and of the institute, made in developing a component of the monitoring system - airborne gamma-ray contamination control, which in western systems is a principal technique of remote detection. (author)

[en] In 1982, an airborne gamma spectrometer survey was undertaken by SDAG WISMUT which was directed at the detection of further uranium mineralization in Saxony and Thuringia. Anomalies outlined along the Elbe river near the existing Koenigstein uranium mine were attributed to one or a combination of the following causes: radioactive residues from uranium processing facilities located upstream, temporary accumulation of Rn-decay products attached to dust particles in the atmosphere at the time of the survey, and radioactive waters emerging from uraniferous rocks along tectonic structures. In 1994, WISMUT GmbH re-evaluated the survey to determine the need for implementing cleanup measures. Subsequent to the verification of the original airborne data, ground surveys were undertaken that included gamma spectrometry, percussion probing and river sediment sampling. The new results did not confirm the magnitude of most of the 1982 airborne anomalies. The general decline of the radioactivity pointed out by the 1994 ground measurements is interpreted to be a result of the partial erosion and dilution of radionuclides in fluvial sediments as well as burial by additional river sediments since. Additional anomalous copper and zinc concentrations are attributed to sources other than mining. The ground follow-up delineated a new anomalous zone that is caused by radionuclides discharged with treated process and mine water. It is the only area, which may require further investigations and possible remedial action. (author)

[en] Airborne survey for radioactive minerals started around 1945. The limited sensitivity of the tools used, the difficulties found for the topographic and training effect corrections, made difficult the evaluation of the results. The technical progresses realized in the recent past years in electronic and computer sciences allowed to overcome these difficulties and gave to the method all its potentialities. With the aerial spectrometric survey, a new step was made, because this method can be used for other topics than radioactive prospection such as geological survey and mining prospection for metallic and industrial minerals. The spectrometric method is based on the possibility to measure photopeak energies (gamma radiation) emitted by radioactive minerals and discriminate between them those emitted by U238, TI 208 and K40 respectively daughter products of uranium, thorium and potassium. For airborne survey, one consider that measuring instruments will allow to pick-up 80% of the radioactive emission concerning the first 15 to 30 centimetres of ground (1 metre maximum). The use of this method for geological and mineral exploration is based on the assumption that different rock types or ore bearing rock types are composed of certain amounts of rock forming minerals which comprise specific quantities of radioactive elements such as potassium, uranium and thorium (cf: Gabelman 77). To be able to evaluate the results of the spectrometric survey it will be necessary to know roughly the behaviour of the different radioactive elements through a complete geological cycle. (author)

[en] The accident at the Chernobyl NPP is the largest technogenic accident of our epoch, the global consequences of which for whole mankind with the course of time will larger and larger significance. In spite of the fact, that the radioactive contamination owing to the Chernobyl accident affected the whole world, just Belarus was subjected to the most intensive radioactive contamination. In addition the radioactive contamination territory of Belarus more than 37 kBq/sq.m. by caesium-137 has made 23% from the whole of the Republic. At the same time as a result of the Chernobyl accident, 5,0% of a territory of the Ukraine and 0,6 % of Russia have been contaminated with radionuclides

[en] The initial period after the Chernobyl accident was the most dangerous for animals kept in the zone of radioactive contamination. Dose burdens from I-isotopes on the thyroid gland of cattle in the initial period after the accident contributed significantly into the alteration of the hormonal status, physiological state and productive, qualities of cattle on farms of the Gomel area of Belarus