By capturing and controlling this natural process, a biological method of removing the surface of concrete to depths up to several mm is being developed. Most radionuclide contamination of concrete is fixed in the outer few mm of the concrete surface. The technology exploits a naturally occurring phenomenon referred to as microbially influenced degradation (MID) in which bacteria produce acids that dissolve the cement matrix of concrete. A novel technology for biologically decontaminating concrete is being jointly developed by scientists at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) and British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL).
