The Nagra/PSI Chemical Thermodynamic Data Base 01/01 is an encyclopedia of thermodynamic data recommended for environmental studies. The data base focuses on elements commonly found as major solutes in natural waters, and on actinides and fission products relevant for radioactive waste disposal projects. It is the official chemical thermodynamic data base used in Swiss radioactive waste disposal projects. The detailed discussion of every number recommended in this encyclopedia is the result of a multi man-year project of the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), a Swiss National Lab. The five authors of this work have many years of experience in research, data base development and the application of thermodynamic data in environmental studies. The data included for many elements are based on their reviews of the basic literature. The data base also includes additional data selected by the authors from recommendations of other experts in ground- water geochemistry and of the international data base project of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA).This report is indispensable for every scientist working in the field of environmental studies as the comprehensive source of information on the quality of the thermodynamic data governing particular problems in environmental geochemistry, especially those concerned with the fate of hazardous substances. This enables graduate students, researchers and consultants, as well as regulators and reviewers of scientific papers to assess the scientific basis of environmental modeling studies. The encyclopedia can be used as a stand-alone source of knowledge but amplereferences are provided for readers who wish to go beyond the level of discussion in the book. An electronic version of the data base and a data base management program is available for download at our homepage (http://les.web.psi.ch/TDBbook.htm).

Safety concepts regarding nuclear waste disposal in underground repositories generally rely on a combination of engineered and geological barriers that minimize potential radionuclide release out of the containment-providing rock zone and transport through the biosphere. The presence of water, however, may alter the engineered barrier system, dissolve radionuclides, and facilitate radionuclide transport that over time may permeate the biosphere. So while barrier systems aim to prevent or hinder water from contacting the waste, the possible intrusion of aqueous solutions must be considered for several safety case scenarios impacted by the long-term evolution of a repository. Dissolution and solubility phenomena thus arise as important processes controlling the chemical behaviour of radionuclides and other key materials of relevance in the context of such repositories and their safety assessments. The solubility and aqueous speciation of radionuclides is of particular interest as they provide upper limits of water-transportable concentrations of radionuclides. Solubility phenomena of radioactive and other gases in water provide important information on gas transport and pressure build-up. Moreover, solubility assessments offer insight into time-independent constraints on the evolution of the disposal system. Particularly important in this regard is the geochemical modelling of radionuclide behaviour in the engineered barrier system as well as in natural aquatic systems along the transport path of radionuclides to the biosphere. The obtained information provides valuable inputs that appropriately constrain safety analyses of nuclear waste disposal.

The single most important factor for the successful application of a geochemical model is the knowledge and experience of the individual(s) conducting the modeling. Geochemical Modeling for Mine Site Characterization and Remediation is the fourth of six volumes in the Management Technologies for Metal Mining Influenced Water series about technologies for management of metal mine and metallurgical process drainage. This handbook describes the important components of hydrogeochemical modeling for mine environments, primarily those mines where sulfide minerals are present—metal mines and coal mines. It provides general guidelines on the strengths and limitations of geochemical modeling and an overview of its application to the hydrogeochemistry of both unmined mineralized sites and those contaminated from mineral extraction and mineral processing. The handbook includes an overview of the models behind the codes, explains vital geochemical computations, describes several modeling processes, provides a compilation of codes, and gives examples of their application, including both successes and failures. Hydrologic modeling is also included because mining contaminants most often migrate by surface water and groundwater transport, and contaminant concentrations are a function of water residence time as well as pathways. This is an indispensable resource for mine planners and engineers, environmental managers, land managers, consultants, researchers, government regulators, nongovernmental organizations, students, stakeholders, and anyone with an interest in mining influenced water. The other handbooks in the series are Basics of Metal Mining Influenced Water; Mitigation of Metal Mining Influenced Water; Mine Pit Lakes: Characteristics, Predictive Modeling, and Sustainability; Techniques for Predicting Metal Mining Influenced Water; and Sampling and Monitoring for the Mine Life Cycle.