Review of wastewater treatment technologies, soil and water conservation measures in nuclear power plants, and inspirations to Fukushima accident

Summary, in English

[Background] The previous studies suggest that radioactive elements like Cs⁺and Sr may adversely affect marine ecosystems and the fishing industry. Traditional treatment systems for radioactive wastewater like the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) and Kurion have faced challenges in limiting concentration and achieving safety criteria. Studies suggest potential long-term impacts on benthic organisms and seafood networks due to radioactive elements like Cs⁺and Sr from the discharged radioactive wastewater, which may hinder post-disaster recovery and provoke economic losses in the fishing industry both domestically and internationally. A series of studies indicate that there are issues of Cs⁺and Sr pollution migration in soil and water conservation in Fukushima. [Methods] To provide feasible solutions, the main article includes five nuclear wastewater treatment technologies, and soil and water conservation measures for different media (water and soil) were evaluated through reviewing the previous fifteen years’ articles. To provide feasible solutions, the main articles, the phytoextraction technologies in Cs⁺and Sr treatment within different land use areas were wildly analyzed (Camellia japonica, Arabidopsis halleri and other local species). [Results]1) A 99. 9% removal rate for Cs⁺ and 99. 5% for Sr²⁺ was achieved by the KFe[Fe(CN)₆] and BaSO₄ co-precipitation method. 2) For membrane filtration, Sr²⁺ and Cs⁺+ were removed using metal-organic framework (MOF/graphene oxide) and ion exchange techniques using inorganic materials like titanosilicates. The absorption efficiency of membrane filtration for Sr²⁺ and Cs⁺ was at least 92% and 94%, respectively. The study analyzed soil and water conservation technologies in different land uses, river basins and catchments. 3) The underground water treatment mainly were completed via the membrance technologies like reverse osmosis and Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRB) technologies. The 90 Sr concentration decreased 77% - 91% compared to the initial concentration by PRB technology. These diverse methods offered effective strategies for radioactive wastewater treatment, especially the co-precipitation method may be feasible remediation measures to ensure ecological safety surrounding nuclear power utilizing areas. Soil and water conservation measures for soil pollution treatment mainly focused on the use of stabilizers to hinder the migration of Cs⁺and Sr in the soil and the effects of wind erosion such as interpolyelectrolyte complexes. [Conclusions] We evaluated the pollution of Cs⁺and Sr in the Fukushima nuclear radiation soil and water to provide solutions for the treatment of nuclear wastewater and to prevent radionuclide pollutants from migrating into the soil and water.

• Author: Chu Wang; Jianzhi Niu; Xiaoxiu Lun; Linus Zhang; Ronny Berndtsson
• Department/s: Division of Water Resources Engineering; MECW: The Middle East in the Contemporary World; Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES); LTH Profile Area: Water
• Publishing year: 2024-12-30
• Language: English
• Pages: 10-200
• Publication/Series: Science of Soil and Water Conservation
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 6
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.16843/j.sswc.2024107
• Document type: Journal article
• Topic: Water Treatment
• Keywords: environmental strategy; Fukushima nuclear power accident; nuclear wastewater treatment; soil and water conservation technologies
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 2096-2673