Alteration of fuel debris simulants by Bacillus subtilis

Liu, J.; Dotsuta, Yuma; Kitagaki, Toru; Aoyagi, Noboru; Mei, H.; Takano, Masahide; Kozai, Naofumi

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(8), p.1002 - 1012, 2023/08

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2022.2162995

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

Photocatalytic unification of iodine species using platinum-loaded titanium dioxide

Sugita, Tsuyoshi; Mori, Masanobu*; Kozai, Naofumi

Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A; Chemistry, 438, p.114548_1 - 114548_6, 2023/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochem.2023.114548

Removal of iodine from water contaminated by nuclear accidents or the release of radioactive waste is complicated and costly because iodine exists in a variety of forms in the water. We investigated the unification of iodine species by photocatalysis as a pretreatment for removing radioactive iodine species from water. The effect of the TiO crystal phase of Pt-TiO and solution pH on the photocatalytic redox reactions of iodide (I), iodate (IO), and -iodobenzoic acid were evaluated. The choice of TiO crystalline phase and pH allowed the mixture of iodine species to be unified to only I or IO. Regardless of the type of Pt-TiO, the iodine in o-iodobenzoic acid was mineralized to I under alkaline conditions. Because the iodine species can be unified to a single species by selecting the photocatalyst and the solution pH, this photocatalytic treatment could be applied to remove iodine species with high efficiency.

Stable C and N isotope abundances in water-extractable organic matter from air-dried soils as potential indices of microbially utilized organic matter

Nagano, Hirohiko*; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Tanaka, Sota*; Yomogida, Takumi; Kozai, Naofumi; Koarashi, Jun

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change (Internet), 6, p.1228053_1 - 1228053_9, 2023/00

https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2023.1228053

An Experimental study on the degradation of UO/Fe(0) by bacteria

Liu, J.; Dotsuta, Yuma; Kitagaki, Toru; Takano, Masahide; Onuki, Toshihiko; Kozai, Naofumi

Proceedings of International Topical Workshop on Fukushima Decommissioning Research (FDR2022) (Internet), 2 Pages, 2022/10

Nuclear fuel debris, consisting primarily of nuclear fuel and structural material, was formed during the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident and exists in the cooling water accumulated in the primary containment vessels. Microorganisms living in groundwater may come into contact with the fuel debris and react with it. To assess the degradation of fuel debris, it is necessary to evaluate the interactions between microorganisms and fuel debris. Here we performed an experimental study on bacterial degradation. A mixed powder of UO and Fe(0) was used as a fuel debris simulant. Bacillus subtilis, which is widespread bacteria in nature and thought to be present at the accident site, was used. The mixed powder was exposed to the Bacillus subtilis in a liquid medium for some days. It was found that the oxidative dissolution of the U(IV) and Fe(0) was accelerated by B. subtilis. A fraction of the dissolved U(VI) was precipitated together with iron precipitates which are probably amorphous Fe(III) hydroxides. The study indicates that microorganisms would cause the degradation of fuel debris.

Chemical species of iodine during sorption by activated carbon; Effects of original chemical species and fulvic acids

Kato, Tomoaki; Kozai, Naofumi; Tanaka, Kazuya; Kaplan, D. I.*; Utsunomiya, Satoshi*; Onuki, Toshihiko

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 59(5), p.580 - 589, 2022/05

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2021.1993370

This study reports the effect of fulvic acids, which is a natural organic substance generally contained in groundwater, on the oxidation states of radioactive iodine anions (iodide and iodate). Iodide and iodate are contained in the contaminated water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and supposed to be removed by activated carbon (AC) via adsorption. When fulvic acids does not exist in the experimental system, the adsorption of iodide on AC was less than that of iodate and their oxidation states after the adsorption were not changed. When fulvic acids existed, a fraction of the adsorbed iodate was reduced to iodide. This result indicates that the reduction of the adsorbed iodate progresses during the storage of the spent AC.

Sorption of Pu(IV) on biogenic Mn oxide and complexation of Pu(IV) with organic ligands secreted by fungal cells

Tanaka, Kazuya; Tani, Yukinori*; Kozai, Naofumi; Onuki, Toshihiko

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 331(2), p.1109 - 1114, 2022/02

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-021-08178-w

We investigated the sorption of Pu(IV) on biogenic Mn oxide produced by Mn(II)-oxidizing fungus. The sorption of Pu(IV) on biogenic Mn oxide was similar to that of U(VI) and different from that of Th(IV), possibly due to oxidation of Pu(IV) to Pu(VI). When Pu(IV) was sorbed on hyphae only, it was desorbed into the solution phase over time. Pu(IV) could be solubilized by complexation with organic ligands secreted by fungal cells. In particular, Pu(IV) desorption was observed under circumneutral pH conditions.

Fe, Mn and U accumulations in naturally growing at the mill tailings pond; Iron plaque formation possibly related to root-endophytic bacteria producing siderophores

Nakamoto, Yukihiro*; Doyama, Kohei*; Haruma, Toshikatsu*; Lu, X.*; Tanaka, Kazuya; Kozai, Naofumi; Fukuyama, Kenjin; Fukushima, Shigeru; Ohara, Yoshiyuki; Yamaji, Keiko*

Minerals (Internet), 11(12), p.1337_1 - 1337_17, 2021/12

AA2021-0764.pdf:3.94MB

https://doi.org/10.3390/min11121337

Mine drainage is a vital water problem in the mining industry worldwide because of the heavy metal elements and low pH. Rhizofiltration using wetland plants is an appropriate method to remove heavy metals from the water via accumulation in the rhizosphere. is one of the candidate plants for this method because of metal accumulation, forming iron plaque around the roots. At the study site, which was the mill tailings pond in the Ningyo-toge uranium mine, has been naturally growing since 1998. The results showed that accumulated Fe, Mn, and U in the nodal roots without/with iron plaque compared with other plant tissues. Among the 837 bacterial colonies isolated from nodal roots, 88.6% showed siderophore production activities. Considering iron plaque formation around roots, we hypothesized that microbial siderophores might influence iron plaque formation because bacterial siderophores have catechol-like functional groups. The complex of catechol or other phenolics with Fe was precipitated due to the networks between Fe and phenolic derivatives. The experiment using bacterial products of root endophytes, such as spp. and spp., showed precipitation with Fe ions, and we confirmed that several spp. and spp. produced unidentified phenolic compounds. In conclusion, root-endophytic bacteria such as spp. and spp., isolated from metal-accumulating roots of , might influence iron plaque formation as the metal accumulation site. Iron plaque formation is related to tolerance in , and spp. and spp. might indirectly contribute to tolerance.

Effect of bacterial siderophore on cesium dissolution from biotite

Kimura, Tatsuki*; Fukutani, Satoshi*; Ikegami, Maiko*; Sakamoto, Fuminori; Kozai, Naofumi; Grambow, B.*; Yoneda, Minoru*

Chemosphere, 276, p.130121_1 - 130121_7, 2021/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130121

The adsorption of cesium (Cs) on biotite and dissolution of Cs from Cs-bearing biotite using a siderophore were investigated aiming to contribute to the elucidation of radiocesium migration mechanisms in the soil environment. Cs was adsorbed on a hardly weathered biotite powder sample. A siderophore was extracted and purified from the bacterial culture medium, and the purified siderophore was used in five consecutive dissolution experiments of the biotite samples. The major components of the biotite (Al, Fe, and Mg) were dissolved almost stoichiometrically, strongly suggesting that the siderophore selectively dissolves the broken edges of the biotite. The Cs adsorbed on the broken edges was dissolved rapidly as the siderophore dissolved the broken edges, and then, the Cs adsorbed on the outer planar surface of the biotite particles was slowly dissolved.

Carbonated nanohydroxyapatite from bone waste and its potential as a super adsorbent for removal of toxic ions

Sekine, Yurina; Nankawa, Takuya; Yamada, Teppei*; Matsumura, Daiju; Nemoto, Yoshihiro*; Takeguchi, Masaki*; Sugita, Tsuyoshi; Shimoyama, Iwao; Kozai, Naofumi; Morooka, Satoshi

Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 9(2), p.105114_1 - 105114_12, 2021/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2021.105114

Remediating toxic ion contamination is crucial for protecting human health and the environment. This study aimed to provide a powerful strategy for effectively utilizing bone waste from the food production and preparation industries for removal of toxic ions. Here, we show that immersing pig bone in NaHCO solution produced a carbonated nanohydroxyapatites (C-NHAP). The C-NHAP exhibited high adsorptivity for Sr, Cd, Pb, and Cu. The strontium adsorptivity was about 250 and 4,500 times higher than that of normal bone and synthetic HAP, respectively. The C-NHAP is an eco-friendly, high-performance material that is simple to prepare and should be useful for tackling problems of food waste disposal and environmental pollution.