Lawn for chernobyl

1993/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna
• Ingurumena

Six years after the Chernobyl accident, the surrounding lands are still contaminated by radioactivity. It is urgent that researchers at the French Institute for Nuclear Protection and Security (IPNS) develop a new technique to reduce pollution levels and start working on these lands.

The system basically consists of sowing grass soil Agryrum repens. This grass forms a lawn, but in the underground forms a very compact network. Harmful radioactive elements are concentrated in this dense root network. The lawn is cut mechanically and is collected in strips, eliminating this lawn, leaving the floor practically without radios.

This technique was tested in the territories of Txistogalovke and Burakovka in June last year, on abandoned land after the accident of 1986. These lands were spontaneously invaded by the grass Agryrum repens and have not had to sow the seed. The removal of lawn strips of about 5 centimeters thick has allowed to remove 95% or more of the contamination. The organic solution extended on bare terrain is opposed to wind erosion.

It treats grass collected and is deposited after removing soil and plants. This system is expected to treat 60,000 hectares in the area of Txernobil.