Synchrotron radiation photoemission electron microscopy study on artificially Cs-adsorbed clay mineral

Yoshigoe, Akitaka 

After the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, decontamination of radioactive cesium is a major concern for recovering from the environmental damage. It is generally known that Cs is irreversibly incorporated into clay minerals such as weathered biotite. Therefore, the development of efficient way to remove Cs has motivated research into understanding Cs adsorption and its physicochemical properties. Synchrotron radiation photoemission electron microscope (SR-PEEM) was applied to perform the pinpoint analysis of micrometer-sized weathered biotite particles with artificially adsorbed Cs. Spatial distributions of constituent elements were observed with nanometer resolution. Spatially resolved X-ray absorption spectra of the Cs M- and Fe L-edges were measured to determine the chemical states of each atom. The results demonstrate the utility of SR-PEEM as a tool for nanoscale chemical analyses of various environmental substances.