Estimation of desorption ratios of radio/stable caesium from environmental samples (aerosols and soils) leached with seawater, diluted seawater and ultrapure water

Sakaguchi, Aya*; Chiga, Haruka*; Tanaka, Kazuya  ; Tsuruta, Haruo*; Takahashi, Yoshio*

An aerosol sample collected on the 15th of March 2011 at Kawasaki City (Kanagawa) was sequentially leached with seawater for 30 days. As a result, about 60% of the total Cs was extracted. In addition, a surface soil sample collected from Kawamata Town (Fukushima) two months after the Fukushima accident, was leached for 223 days with a natural seawater, a 1:1 mixture of ultrapure water and seawater, and ultrapure water. Eventually, more than 15% of the total Cs in the surface soil sample was efficiently desorbed by seawater leaching. In comparison, about 9% of the total Cs was leached with 1:1 diluted seawater and less than 1% of the total Cs was leached with ultrapure water over the 223 days. Overall, Cs and Cs showed similar leaching behaviour.