Upgrading of recovery method for radioactive microparticles by heavy liquid separation aiming to volume reduction of contaminated soil (Contract research); FY2018 Center of World Intelligence Project for Nuclear Science/Technology and Human Resource Development

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; University of Tsukuba*

CLADS, JAEA, had been conducting the Center of World Intelligence Project for Nuclear Science/Technology and Human Resource Development (hereafter referred to "the Project") in FY2018. The Project aims to contribute to solving problems in nuclear energy field represented by the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. For this purpose, intelligence was collected from all over the world, and basic research and human resource development were promoted by closely integrating/collaborating knowledge and experiences in various fields beyond the barrier of conventional organizations and research fields. The sponsor of the Project was moved from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to JAEA since the newly adopted proposals in FY2018. On this occasion, JAEA constructed a new research system where JAEA-academia collaboration is reinforced and medium-to-long term research/development and human resource development contributing to the decommissioning are stably and consecutively implemented. Among the adopted proposals in FY2018, this report summarizes the research results of the 'Upgrading of Recovery Method for Radioactive Microparticles by Heavy Liquid Separation Aiming to Volume Reduction of Contaminated Soil'. After the accident of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, radioactive cesium has been heterogeneously distributed in surface soil due to the existence of radioactive microparticles and clay minerals. Therefore, the selective removal of these microparticles will lead to the volume reduction of contaminated soil. The present study examines methods for selectively removing radioactive microparticles from soil. Also, in order to reduce the volume of contaminated soil, we search a possibility to practically apply the separation method that uses the difference in specific gravity of particles (heavy liquid separation method).