• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.401-406
• /
• 2016

In this study, we have investigated the removal of the low level radioactive ions of Cs and I in water by the reverse osmosis (RO) process. The two RO modules produced in domestic region and the waste RO module after the cleaning process were selected. Then we compared removal performance of both Cs and I. The experiments are conducted by varying the concentration of feed, the pressure. As a results, it was confirmed that all three modules are higher I decontamination factor than Cs. And particularly, for the cleaned RO module, its decontamination factor of I was 1140. Since the results at low pressure condition were better than that at high pressure conditions, the use of the direct installation of RO modules on the tap water might be possible. In addition, it was confirmed that the waste RO module after cleaning process using EDTA, SBS and NaOH, increased the decontamination performance better than before cleaning, in particular, the recovery ratio after cleaning was 6.3% higher.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.66-73
• /
• 2017

This study was to evaluate the influential parameters such as intial Cs concentration, reaction temperature, contact time and pH variation of solution on Cs adsorption. Using the experimental data, adsorption kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamic properties were analyzed. The Cs ion adsorption of the zeolite X was effective in the range from pH 5 to 10 and reached equilibrium after 60 minutes. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms of Cs ion with the zeolite X was described well by the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacities of Cs ion calculated from Langmuir isotherm model at 293~333 K were from 303.03 mg/g to 333.33 mg/g. It was found that thermodynamic property of Cs ion absorption on the zeolite X was spontaneous and endothermic reaction. The experimental data were fitted a second-order polynomial equation by the multiple regression analysis. The values of the dependent variable calculated by this best fitted model equation were in very good agreement with the experimentally obtained values.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.506-511
• /
• 1999

The pilot system for radioactive liquid laundry waste was developed with treatment capacity, 1ton/hr and set up in the Yong Kwang unit #4. The system is composed of tank module, RO systems and a UV/$H_2O$$_2$photo-oxidation unit. The RO system consists of the BW unit (low-pressure RO for brackish water desalination) and the SW unit (high-pressure RO for seawater desalination). The BW unit possesses 4 RO membranes and it can reduce the feed water volume down to 1/10. This concentrated feed water can be reduced again up to 1/10 in its volume in the SW unit composed of 4 RO membranes. The UV/$H_2O$$_2$ photo-oxidation process unit was used for the detergent degradation. The operation of the pilot system was carried out and verified in its capability through the continuous operation and concentration operation using the actual liquid waste from the power plant. The design criteria and data for industrialization were yielded. The efficiency of the UV/$H_2O$$_2$ photo-oxidation process and the optimum operational procedure were evaluated. The decontamination factors for radioactive cobalt and cesium were measured. This on-site test showed the experimental result in the DF$\geq$300 and volume reduction factor$\geq$100.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.55-64
• /
• 2019

The adsorption properties of $Cs^+$ and $Cu^{2+}$ ions were evaluated by using a polysulfone scoria zeolite (PSf-SZ) composite with synthetic zeolite synthesized from Jeju volcanic rocks (scoria). In order to investigate the adsorption properties, various parameters, such as pH, contact time, reaction rate, concentration, and temperature in aqueous solutions, were evaluated by tests carried out in batch experiments. The adsorption capacities of $Cs^+$ and $Cu^{2+}$ ions increased between pH 2 but achieved equilibrium at pH 4 and above. The adsorption rate increased rapidly up to the initial 24 h, after which it plateaued ; the adsorption rate then sustained at equilibrium from 48 h. The adsorption kinetics of $Cs^+$ and $Cu^{2+}$ ions were described better by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model than the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The Langmuir model fitted the adsorption isotherm data better than the Freundlich model. The maximum adsorption capacities of $Cs^+$ and $Cu^{2+}$ ions obtained from the Langmuir model were 53.8 mg/g and 84.7 mg/g, respectively. The calculated thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption of $Cs^+$ and $Cu^{2+}$ ions on PSf-SZ was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic reaction.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.7 no.3
• /
• pp.153-160
• /
• 2009

Vertical electrokintic-flushing remediation equipment was developed for the remediation of a radioactive soil near nuclear facilities. An optimum reagent was selected to decontaminate the radioactive soil near nuclear facilities with the developed vertical electrokintic-flushing remediation equipment, and the optimum remediation conditions were established to obtain a higher remediation efficiency. Namely, acetic acid was selected as an optimum reagent due to its higher remediation efficiency. When the electrokinetic remediation and the electrokinetic-flushing remediation results were compared, the removal efficiency of 4.6% and the soil waste solution volume of 1.5 times were increased in the electrokinetic remediation. When the potential gradient within an electrokinetic soil cell was increased by two times (4.0 V/cm), the removal efficiencies of $Co^{2+}$ and $Cs^+$ were increased by about 4.3%($Co^{2+}$ : 98.9%, $Cs^+$ : 96.7%). Also, when the reagent concentration was increased from 0.01M to 0.05M, the removal efficiency of $Co^{2+}$ was increased but that of $Cs^+$ was decreased. Therefore, the optimum remediation conditions were that the acetic concentration was $0.01M{\sim}0.05M$, the potential gredient was 4 V/cm, the injection of reagent 2.4ml/g, and the remediation period was 20days.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.31-36
• /
• 2020

To ensure food safety of berries from radioactive contamination, radioactivity monitoring was conducted with a total 258 samples of the berries and processed berry products distributed in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, from 2016 to 2018. The concentration of artificial radionuclides, ¹³¹I, ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs, was analyzed using gamma-ray spectrometry. ¹³¹I and ¹³⁴Cs were not detected above the MDA (Minimum Detectable Activity) value from any of the samples. However, the range of radioactivity concentration of ¹³⁷Cs was 0.69-808.90 Bq/kg in 39 cases of berries. ¹³⁷Cs was detected at 0.70-3.29 Bq/kg from 6 cases of domestic berries, which were manufactured from imported raw materials. Among 33 cases of imported berries, ¹³⁷Cs was detected at 0.69-808.90 Bq/kg. The concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs in 1 case of blueberry powder product (808.90 Bq/kg) and 2 cases of lingonberry powder products (103.93, 188.46 Bq/kg) exceed domestic maximum radioactivity limits, and these were detected in the berries from Poland. These results suggest that monitoring system for imported berries and processed berry products should be continuously intensified to secure food safety.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.33-40
• /
• 2006

The characteristics of the aluminum waste melting and the distribution of the radioactive nuclides have been investigated for the estimation on the volume reduction and the decontamination of the aluminum wastes from the decommissioning of the TRIGA MARK it and III research reactors at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute(KAERI). The aluminum wastes were melted with the use of the fluxes such as flux $A:NaCl-KCl-Na_3AlF_6$, flux B:NaCl-NaF-KF, flux $C:CaF_2$, and flux $D:LiF-KCl-BaCl_2$ in the DC graphite arc furnace. For the assessment of the distribution of the radioactive nuclides during the melting of the aluminum, the aluminum materials were contaminated by the surrogate nuclides such as cobalt(Co), cesium(Cs) and strontium(Sr). The fluidity of aluminum melt was increased with the addition of the fluxes, which has slight difference according to the type of fluxes. The formation of the slag during the aluminum melting added the flux type C and D was larger than that with the flux A and B. The rate of the slag formation linearly increased with increasing the flux concentration. The results of the XRD analysis showed that the surrogate nuclide was transferred to the slag, which can be easily separated from the melt and then they combined with aluminum oxide to form a more stable compound. The distribution ratio of cobalt in ingot to that in slag was more than 40% at all types of fluxes. Since vapor pressures of cesium and strontium were higher than those that of the host metals at the melting temperature, their removal efficiency from the ingot phase to the slag and the dust phase was by up to 98%.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.633-638
• /
• 2016

In this study, we used three kinds of commercially available cation, anion, and mixed-ion exchange resins to separate radioactive ions from a polluted water containing Cs, I, and other radioactive ions. The experiment was conducted at a room temperature with a batch method, and a comparative analysis on the decontamination ability of each resin for the removal of Cs and I was performed by using different quantities of resins. The concentration was analyzed using ion chromatography and the ion exchange resin product from company D showed an overall high ion exchange ability. However, for most of the experiments when the amount of ion exchange resin was decreased, the decontamination ability of the resins against mass increased. When the mass of company D's cation exchange resin was small, the ion exchange ability against Cs and I ions were measured as 0.199 and 0.344 meq/g, respectively. When the mixed ion exchange resin was used, the ion exchange ability against I ions was measured as 0.33 meq/g. All in all, company D's ion exchange resins exhibited a relatively higher ion exchange ability particularly against I ions than that of other companies' exchange ions.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.57-63
• /
• 2010

Layer crystallization process was tested for the separation(or concentration) of cesium and strontium fission products in a LiCl waste salt generated from an electrolytic reduction process of a spent oxide fuel. In a crystallization process, impurities (CsCl and $SrCl_2$) are concentrated in a small fraction of the LiCl salt by the solubility difference between the melt phase and the crystal phase. Based on the phase diagram of LiCl-CsCl-$SrCl_2$ system, the separation possibility by using crystallization was determined and the molten salt temperature profile during layer crystallization operation was predicted by using mathematical calculation. In the layer crystallization process, the crystal growth rate strongly affects the crystal structure and therefore the separation efficiency. In the conditions of about 20-25 l/min cooling air flow rate and less than 0.2g/min/$cm^2$ crystal flux, the separation efficiency of both CsCl and $SrCl_2$ showed about 90% by the layer crystallization process, assuming a LiCl salt reuse rate of 90wt%.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.251-256
• /
• 2007

The crystal structure of fully dehydrated partially Cs+-exchanged zeolite X, [Cs52Na40Si100Al92O384], a = 24.9765(10) A, has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques in the cubic space group Fd3 at 21 °C. The crystal was prepared by flow method for 5 days using exchange solution in which mole ratio of CsOH and CsNO3 was 1 : 1 with total concentration of 0.05 M. The crystal was then dehydrated at 400 °C and 2 × 10-6 Torr for 2 days. The structure was refined to the final error indices, R1 = 0.051 and wR2 (based on F2) = 0.094 with 247 reflections for which Fo > 4σ (Fo). In this structure, about fifty-two Cs+ ions per unit cell are located at six different crystallographic sites with special selectivity; about one Cs+ ion is located at site I, at the centers of double oxygen-rings (D6Rs), two Cs+ ions are located at site I', and six Cs+ ions are found at site II'. This is contrary to common view that Cs+ ions cannot pass sodalite cavities nor D6Rs because six-ring entrances are too small. Ring-opening by the formation of ?OH groups and ring-flexing make Cs+ ions at sites I, I', and II' enter six-oxygen rings. The defects of zeolite frameworks also give enough mobility to Cs+ ions to enter sodalite cavities and D6Rs. Another six Cs+ ions are found at site II, thirty-six are located at site III, and one is located at site III' in the supercage, respectively. Forty Na+ ions per unit cell are located at two different crystallographic sites; about fourteen are located at site I, the centers of D6Rs and twenty-six are also located at site II in the supercage. Cs+ ions and Na+ ions at site II are recessed ca. 0.34(1) A and 1.91(1) A into the supercage, respectively. In this work, the highest exchange level of Cs+ ions per unit cell was achieved in zeolite X by conventional aqueous solution methods and it was also shown that Cs+ ion could pass through the sixoxygen rings.