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Acid test may solve radiation problems
Source: Agencies |
September 2, 2011, Friday
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AN improved method to remove radioactive cesium from soil may mean Japanese authorities will no longer have to strip vast amounts of earth to clean areas contaminated by the world's worst nuclear disaster in 25 years, a Japanese research institute has said.
Japan is faced with the task of cleaning up thousands of square kilometres of land contaminated by radiation from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant after it was crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in March.
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology said it has improved a method using an acidic solution to remove radioactive material from soil.
The alternative is to remove millions of tonnes of topsoil from the 12 municipalities surrounding the plant for disposal or storage.
Tohru Kawamoto, who led the research, said: "The cost to dispose of or store soil removed from Fukushima would be astronomical.
"Our method could cut the amount of soil that needs to be removed to a hundredth of what it would otherwise be, which also means disposal and storage costs would be slashed to the same extent."
Kawamoto said his group was aiming to begin cleaning up some school grounds and other places in Fukushima prefecture on an experimental basis within the next six months.
He said it might be another six months before the method could be applied throughout Fukushima.
In the new method, an acidic solution is heated almost to boiling point, after which almost all the cesium is removed by agents known as Prussian blue nanoparticles, allowing the solution to be used again.
Various types of cesium, which spread from the crippled Dai-ichi plant, can have a half life of up to 30 years - half life is the time required for radiation in a substance to decrease by half.
Kawamoto said: "We have so far received interest from construction companies involved in the clean-up process in the affected areas and businesses that own real estate contaminated by radiation."
Japan said last week it aims to halve radiation over two years in places contaminated by the nuclear disaster, removing soil, plants and trees in an area spanning thousands of square kilometres.
The clean-up could cost tens of billions of dollars, and thousands of evacuees may not be able to return home for years, if ever.
Japan is faced with the task of cleaning up thousands of square kilometres of land contaminated by radiation from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant after it was crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in March.
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology said it has improved a method using an acidic solution to remove radioactive material from soil.
The alternative is to remove millions of tonnes of topsoil from the 12 municipalities surrounding the plant for disposal or storage.
Tohru Kawamoto, who led the research, said: "The cost to dispose of or store soil removed from Fukushima would be astronomical.
"Our method could cut the amount of soil that needs to be removed to a hundredth of what it would otherwise be, which also means disposal and storage costs would be slashed to the same extent."
Kawamoto said his group was aiming to begin cleaning up some school grounds and other places in Fukushima prefecture on an experimental basis within the next six months.
He said it might be another six months before the method could be applied throughout Fukushima.
In the new method, an acidic solution is heated almost to boiling point, after which almost all the cesium is removed by agents known as Prussian blue nanoparticles, allowing the solution to be used again.
Various types of cesium, which spread from the crippled Dai-ichi plant, can have a half life of up to 30 years - half life is the time required for radiation in a substance to decrease by half.
Kawamoto said: "We have so far received interest from construction companies involved in the clean-up process in the affected areas and businesses that own real estate contaminated by radiation."
Japan said last week it aims to halve radiation over two years in places contaminated by the nuclear disaster, removing soil, plants and trees in an area spanning thousands of square kilometres.
The clean-up could cost tens of billions of dollars, and thousands of evacuees may not be able to return home for years, if ever.
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