Desorption of cesium from Fukushima soils using a mechanochemical method

Kaneta, Yui ; Kobayashi, Toru ; Tsuji, Takuya  ; Honda, Mitsunori   ; Yokoyama, Keiichi  ; Mampuku, Yuzo*; Yaita, Tsuyoshi*

The desorption behavior of stable Cs adsorbed onto weathered biotite (WB), a clay mineral abundant in Fukushima soils, was investigated using a mechanochemical (MC) method that combines physical grinding by ball impact with a wet process promoting chemical reactions. The results, oxalic acid desorbed Cs to some extent without significantly affecting the layered structure of the clay minerals; ammonium chloride, showed an exfoliation of the layer structure, resulting in a stable desorption of Cs independent of samples. Regarding the real soil samples collected in Fukushima, the MC method using ammonium chloride solution desorbed 80% of Cs. In contrast, oxalic acid did not always result in radioactive Cs made sufficiently desorbed for all the samples. Based on these findings, the MC method with ammonium chloride effectively promotes radioactive Cs desorption from interlayers due to synergistic effects from the layered structure's exfoliation and chemical interaction.