Microbiome analysis of the restricted bacteria in radioactive element-containing water at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

Warashina, Tomoro*; Sato, Asako*; Hinai, Hiroshi; Shaikhutdinov, N.*; Shagimardanova, E.*; Mori, Hiroshi*; Tamaki, Satoshi*; Saito, Motofumi*; Sanada, Yukihisa; Sasaki, Yoshito; et al.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 90(4), p.e02113-23_1 - e02113-23_23, 2024/04

https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02113-23

Degradation of nuclear fuel debris analog by siderophore-releasing microorganisms

Onuki, Toshihiko*; Nakase, Masahiko*; Liu, J.; Dotsuta, Yuma; Satou, Yukihiko; Kitagaki, Toru; Kozai, Naofumi

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(3), p.384 - 396, 2023/07

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2231951

Potential bacterial alteration of nuclear fuel debris; A Preliminary study using simulants in powder and pellet forms

Liu, J.; Dotsuta, Yuma; Sumita, Takehiro; Kitagaki, Toru; Onuki, Toshihiko; Kozai, Naofumi

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 331(6), p.2785 - 2794, 2022/06

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-022-08324-y

Remnant nuclear fuel debris in the damaged nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) has contacted the groundwater containing microorganisms for over ten years. Herein, we report the possibility of bacterial alteration of fuel debris. We investigated the physical and chemical changes of fuel debris simulants (FDS) in the powder and pellet forms via exposure to two ubiquitous bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis. In the experiments using FDS composed of the powders of Fe(0), solid solution of CeO and ZrO, and SiO, Ce, Zr, and Si were hardly dissolved, while Fe was dissolved, a fraction of the dissolved Fe was present in the liquid phase as Fe(II) and Fe(III), and the rest was precipitated as the nano-sized particles of iron (hydr)oxides. In the experiment using P. fluorescens and FDS pellet pieces prepared by melting the Fe(0) particles and solid solution of CeO and ZrO, the bacteria selectively gathered on the Fe(0) particle surface and made corrosion pits. These results suggest that bacteria in groundwater corrode the iron in fuel debris at FDNPP, change fuel debris into porous one, releasing the nano-sized iron (hydr)oxide particles into the water.

Dissolution and precipitation behaviors of zircon under the atmospheric environment

Kitagaki, Toru; Yoshida, Kenta*; Liu, P.*; Shobu, Takahisa

npj Materials Degradation (Internet), 6(1), p.13_1 - 13_8, 2022/02

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41529-021-00214-0

Solidification and re-melting mechanisms of SUS-BC eutectic mixture

Sumita, Takehiro; Kitagaki, Toru; Takano, Masahide; Ikeda, Atsushi

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 543, p.152527_1 - 152527_15, 2021/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152527

First-principles calculation of mechanical properties of simulated debris ZrUO

Itakura, Mitsuhiro; Nakamura, Hiroki; Kitagaki, Toru; Hoshino, Takanori; Machida, Masahiko

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 56(9-10), p.915 - 921, 2019/09

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2019.1604271

To elucidate the mechanical properties of fuel debris inside the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, we use first-principles calculations to evaluate mechanical properties of cubic ZrUO, which is a main component of the fuel debris. We focus on the dependence of mechanical properties on the fraction x of zirconium, compare our results with recent experiment of simulated debris, in which dependences of elastic moduli and fracture toughness on the ZrO content showed deviation from a simple linear relation. We show that elastic moduli drop at around x=0.25 and increase again for larger values of x, as has been observed in experiments. The reason of the drop is a softening owing to disordered atomistic structures induced by the solute zirconium atoms. We also find that stress-strain curves for the x=0.125 case show marked hysteresis owing to the existence of many meta-stable states. We show that this hysteresis leads to slightly increased fracture toughness, but it is not enough to account for the significant increase of fracture toughness observed in experiments.

A Laboratory investigation of microbial degradation of simulant fuel debris by oxidizing microorganisms

Liu, J.; Dotsuta, Yuma; Kitagaki, Toru; Kozai, Naofumi; Yamaji, Keiko*; Onuki, Toshihiko

Proceedings of International Topical Workshop on Fukushima Decommissioning Research (FDR 2019) (Internet), 2 Pages, 2019/05

To decommission the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), it is necessary to estimate the current status of fuel debris and predicate the possible change under various condition. Some microorganisms may enter the plant due to the seawater injection after accident and future defueling activity. In this study, microbial influence on fuel debris under aerobic condition was experimentally investigated. By culturing some bacteria in the presence of simulant fuel debris in liquid medium, the microbial degradation of fuel debris was observed.

Large scale VULCANO molten core concrete interaction test considering Fukushima Daiichi condition

Bouyer, V.*; Journeau, C.*; Haquet, J. F.*; Piluso, P.*; Nakayoshi, Akira; Ikeuchi, Hirotomo; Washiya, Tadahiro; Kitagaki, Toru

Proceedings of 9th Conference on Severe Accident Research (ERMSAR 2019) (Internet), 13 Pages, 2019/03

R&D strategy on mid- and long-term behavior of fuel debris

Yano, Kimihiko; Kitagaki, Toru; Washiya, Tadahiro; Miyamoto, Yasuaki; Ogawa, Toru

Progress in Nuclear Science and Technology (Internet), 5, p.225 - 228, 2018/11

https://doi.org/10.15669/pnst.5.225

According to the roadmap for decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi NPS, fuel debris retrieval will start from 2021, after a decade from fuel debris generation. Fuel debris will stay in the reactors until the end of defueling. In addition, it is not hard to anticipate that storage is necessary for fuel debris removed from reactors. In order to consider such a post-accident operation for fuel debris, it is indispensable to discuss the states and characteristics of fuel debris during several decades. Therefore, JAEA directed R&D strategy on mid- and long-term behavior of fuel debris tentatively and is making a start of fundamental studies on this issue in corporation with the domestic universities and other research institutes.

Thermodynamic evaluation of the solidification phase of molten core-concrete under estimated Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident conditions

Kitagaki, Toru; Yano, Kimihiko; Ogino, Hideki; Washiya, Tadahiro

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 486, p.206 - 215, 2017/04

AA2016-0278.pdf:0.74MB

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.01.032