Application of GIS technology in management of brownfield sites containing NORM residues
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17794/rgn.2025.4.9Keywords:
brownfield, NORM residues, management, GISAbstract
Since “brownfield sites” (BFS) are one of main environmental engineering challenges, countries in the European Union are obligated to consider their management. One of the main tools for BFS management is geographic information system (GIS) technology on two levels: representation of all BFS in the country and representation of material/pollutant distribution (surface, amount and concentrations, etc.) for the respective sites. The Republic of Croatia has several brownfield sites, including the site of the decommissioned factory of plastics and chemical products, Jugovinil, in the city of Kaštela, Croatia, as a significant example. The decommissioned chemical plant and its coal powered powerplant caused the contamination of the industrial site with heavy metals and naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) residues. Since the decommissioning of the factory, other, small-scale industrial activities (shipyards) caused the site’s additional contamination. This BFS has several locations containing a total of 552,101.29 m3 of different types of deposited material (coal ash and slag, brought in soil material, construction waste, etc.), of which ≈ 240.893 m3 are relevant for this research. The research presented here is based upon studies done in 2010-2011. Since the research data is overwhelmingly large, only part of it represented in this paper: measurements of three radionuclide concentrations from the 232Th decay chain. The computer GIS software ArcGIS Pro was used to create maps showing concentrations of radioisotopes, which enabled the identification of hotspots and potential sources of pollution. The interpolation was performed using the geostatistical method Empirical Bayesian Kriging. Recommended actions for the management of this location include remediation and caveat concerning urbanisation of the site.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Želimir Veinović, Dario Perković, Tonka Radas, Ivica Prlić
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