Date of Award
12-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Environmental Engineering and Earth Science
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Nicole Martinez
Committee Member
Dr. Lindsay Shuller-Nickles
Committee Member
Dr. Michael Carbajales-Dale
Committee Member
Dr. Prasad Rangaraju
Abstract
Decision making is challenging and it is necessary to consider all relevant data to make an informed decision. The work herein provides a pathway wherein the fields of radiological protection and life cycle assessment (LCA) can be utilized synergistically to benefit the decision-making using the other (and vice versa). Specifically, LCA parallels decision-aiding techniques used in the optimization of radiological protection and LCA includes an ionizing radiation potential (IRP) impact category wherein the impacts associated with an emission of radioactive material is quantified to determine the human health impact. Thus this body of work focuses on (1) expanding the platform for decision making in radiological protection through the utilization of life cycle assessment, and (2) reviewing and expanding upon the current methodology for calculating the ionizing radiation potential in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA).
In development of these goals, it was proposed how LCA could be included in the optimization of radiological protection as an additional decision-aiding technique. This inclusion will allow radiological protection specialists the opportunity to consider LCA-determined impacts for numerous categories, many of which are not currently considered in radiological protection (e.g., marine eutrophication or water usage). While the method is not intended to replace existing decision-aiding techniques, LCA can be utilized to eliminate non-favorable options from consideration. On the other hand, the methodology proposed for calculating the impact to human health resulting from radiological emissions was reviewed and elaborated upon in a novel methodology, Clemson University Radiological Protection (CURP). CURP reports characterization factors (CFs) iii and damage factors (DFs) and is comparable to (1) methods established for other impact categories and (2) those used in radiological risk assessment. Consistent with the previously established UCrad approach, USEtox was used to determine the environmental steady state concentrations in each compartment. The main novelty of the method is the inclusion of radiological progeny in the impact assessment. US EPA tools were used to determine the contribution of radioactive progeny to the collective effective dose for the decay chain. It was found that the decay chain can have a substantial influence on the damage factor. For example, 222Rn has a ~53% increase (when comparing the parent to the parent plus progeny) 0.01 years after release whereas it has a ~198% increase 10,000 years after release. To demonstrate the applicability of the CURP method for nuclear and non-nuclear systems, a case study comparing electricity produced via nuclear fission and coal combustion was conducted. The IRP was larger for the nuclear fission fuel cycle than the coal combustion fuel cycle, however the radionuclide specific contribution to the IRP for some radionuclides increased with increasing time since release whereas other radionuclides decreased with increasing time. This indicated that the reference radionuclide should have a long half-life to minimize ambiguity when interpreting results. Ultimately, the complementarity of LCA and radiological protection can aid informed decision making whether for radiological protection or LCA decisions such as electricity comparisons.
Recommended Citation
Wattier-Weisensee, Bryanna, "Supporting Holistic, Informed, Decision-Making through the Complementarity of Life Cycle Assessment and Radiological Protection" (2024). All Dissertations. 3836.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/3836
Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0001-6401-0900
