Chapter 29
Volume Reduction of Municipal Solid Wastes
Contaminated with Radioactive Cesium
by Ferrocyanide Coprecipitation Technique
Yoko Fujikawa, Hiroaki Ozaki, Hiroshi Tsuno, Pengfei Wei,
Aiichiro Fujinaga, Ryouhei Takanami, Shogo Taniguchi, Shojiro Kimura,
Rabindra Raj Giri, and Paul Lewtas
Abstract Municipal solid wastes (MSW) with elevated concentrations of radioactive cesium (rad-Cs hereafter) have been generated in some areas of Japan in the
aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (F1 hereafter) accident.
Both recycling and final disposal of the contaminated MSW have become a difficult
problem in the affected areas, resulting in accumulation of treated residues in the
treatment facilities.
The rad-Cs in MSW, especially fly ash, often showed a high leaching rate.
Extraction of contaminated MSW with water or hot oxalic acid followed by
selective removal of rad-Cs from the extract using ferrocyanide (Fer hereafter)
coprecipitation technique could be an ultimate solution for waste volume reduction.
The MSW extracts contain various metal components as well as chelating reagents
like oxalic acid, and are often very saline. The composition of the extract varies
widely depending on waste sources, applied treatment techniques, and rad-Cs
extraction method etc. The applicability of the Fer coprecipitation technique had
to be tested and validated before it could be applied for actual treatment.
In this work, we applied the Fer technique and observed removal of
cesium (Cs) from water and oxalic acid extracts (all spiked with rad-Cs tracer or
stable Cs) of various MSW samples collected from uncontaminated areas. Finally,
the Fer technique was applied on site for removal of rad-Cs in the extracts of
Y. Fujikawa (*)
Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute, Asahiro-nishi, Kumatori-cho, Sennan-gun,
Osaka 590-0494, Japan
e-mail: fujikawa@rri.kyoto-u.ac.jp
H. Ozaki • H. Tsuno • P. Wei • A. Fujinaga • R. Takanami • S. Taniguchi • R.R. Giri
Osaka Sangyo University, 3-1-1 Nakagaito, Daito-shi, Osaka 594-8530, Japan
S. Kimura
Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 4-20-1 Nasahara, Takatsuki,
Osaka 569-1094, Japan
P. Lewtas
Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup WA6027, Australia
© The Author(s) 2015
K. Nakajima (ed.), Nuclear Back-end and Transmutation Technology for Waste
Disposal, DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-55111-9_29
329
Volume Reduction of Municipal Solid Wastes
Contaminated with Radioactive Cesium
by Ferrocyanide Coprecipitation Technique
Yoko Fujikawa, Hiroaki Ozaki, Hiroshi Tsuno, Pengfei Wei,
Aiichiro Fujinaga, Ryouhei Takanami, Shogo Taniguchi, Shojiro Kimura,
Rabindra Raj Giri, and Paul Lewtas
Abstract Municipal solid wastes (MSW) with elevated concentrations of radioactive cesium (rad-Cs hereafter) have been generated in some areas of Japan in the
aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (F1 hereafter) accident.
Both recycling and final disposal of the contaminated MSW have become a difficult
problem in the affected areas, resulting in accumulation of treated residues in the
treatment facilities.
The rad-Cs in MSW, especially fly ash, often showed a high leaching rate.
Extraction of contaminated MSW with water or hot oxalic acid followed by
selective removal of rad-Cs from the extract using ferrocyanide (Fer hereafter)
coprecipitation technique could be an ultimate solution for waste volume reduction.
The MSW extracts contain various metal components as well as chelating reagents
like oxalic acid, and are often very saline. The composition of the extract varies
widely depending on waste sources, applied treatment techniques, and rad-Cs
extraction method etc. The applicability of the Fer coprecipitation technique had
to be tested and validated before it could be applied for actual treatment.
In this work, we applied the Fer technique and observed removal of
cesium (Cs) from water and oxalic acid extracts (all spiked with rad-Cs tracer or
stable Cs) of various MSW samples collected from uncontaminated areas. Finally,
the Fer technique was applied on site for removal of rad-Cs in the extracts of
Y. Fujikawa (*)
Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute, Asahiro-nishi, Kumatori-cho, Sennan-gun,
Osaka 590-0494, Japan
e-mail: fujikawa@rri.kyoto-u.ac.jp
H. Ozaki • H. Tsuno • P. Wei • A. Fujinaga • R. Takanami • S. Taniguchi • R.R. Giri
Osaka Sangyo University, 3-1-1 Nakagaito, Daito-shi, Osaka 594-8530, Japan
S. Kimura
Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 4-20-1 Nasahara, Takatsuki,
Osaka 569-1094, Japan
P. Lewtas
Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup WA6027, Australia
© The Author(s) 2015
K. Nakajima (ed.), Nuclear Back-end and Transmutation Technology for Waste
Disposal, DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-55111-9_29
329