Short rotation coppice for revaluation of contaminated land

When dealing with large-scale environmental contamination, as following the Chernobyl accident, changed land use such that the products of the land ar e radiologically acceptable and sustain an economic return from the land is a potentially sustainable remediation option. In this paper, willow short rotation coppice (SRC) is evaluated on radiological, technical and economic grounds for W. European and Belarus site conditions. Radiocaesium uptake w as studied in a newly established and existing SRC. Only for light-texture soils with low soil potassium should cultivation be restricted to soils wit h contamination levels below 100 370 kBq m(-2) given the TFs on these soils (5 x 10(-4) and 2 x 10(-3) m(2) kg(-1)) and considering the Belarus exempt ion limit for firewood (740 Bq kg(-1)). In the case of high wood contaminat ion levels ( > 1000 Bq kg(-1)). power plant personnel working in the vicini ty of ash conveyers should be subjected to radiation protection measures. F or appropriate soil conditions, potential SRC yields are high. In Belarus, most soils are sandy with a low water retention, for which yield estimates are too low to make production profitable without irrigation. The economic viability should be thoroughly calculated for the prevailing conditions. In W. Europe, SRC production or conversion is not profitable without price in centives. For Belarus, the profitability of SRC on the production side larg ely depends on crop yield and price of the delivered bio-fuel. Large-scale heat conversion systems seem the most profitable and revenue may be conside rable. Electricity routes are usually unprofitable. It could be concluded t hat energy production from SRC is potentially a radiologically and economic ally sustainable land use option for contaminated agricultural land. (C) 20 01 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.