Practical approach to decontamination of radioactive cesium-contaminated matter in agricultural region by improved wet classification and use of geomaterials

Abstract

In the radiation dosimetry of radiocesium in Iitate, Fukushima, the level of radiocesium around the environment did not exceed the criteria in liquid phases such as puddle water, but was distributed in solid phases such as some soil types and organic matter. On the other hand, retting of the cut bamboo grass and hemlock fir in water allowed the release of radiocesium, about 230 Bq/kg exceeding the criteria for a bathing area. The flow-thru test using zeolite showed the removal of radiocesium from the liquid phase. The wet classification test was performed for 3 types of radiocesium-contaminated soil. According to the results of wet classification, radiocesium was detected and its level exceeded the cropping restriction level in almost all classified particle fractions. The decontamination effect of wet classification on radiocesium contamination was smaller than that on heavy metal contamination. Specifically, the wet classification could not induce volume reduction. Accordingly, preprocessing and intermediate treatments such as dispersion or attrition by vibration or mixing in the wet classification process were devised and examined as improved processing techniques. As a result, the effectual volume reduction of the radiocesium-contaminated soil was confirmed by adding an intermediate process such as the surface attrition in the vibrator. © 2012 Atomic Energy Society of Japan, All Rights Reserved.