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

Sodium diffusion in hard carbon studied by small- and wide-angle neutron scattering and muon spin relaxation

Oishi, Kazuki*; Igarashi, Daisuke*; Tatara, Ryoichi*; Kawamura, Yukihiko*; Hiroi, Kosuke; Suzuki, Junichi*; Umegaki, Izumi*; Nishimura, Shoichiro*; Koda, Akihiro*; Komaba, Shinichi*; et al.

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 2462, p.012048_1 - 012048_5, 2023/03

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2462/1/012048

Spatial variations in radiocesium deposition and litter-soil distribution in a mountainous forest catchment affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident

Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Koarashi, Jun; Tsuzuki, Katsunori; Takeuchi, Erina; Nishimura, Shusaku; Muto, Kotomi*; Matsunaga, Takeshi*

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 238-239, p.106725_1 - 106725_8, 2021/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106725

To understand the spatial variation in soil Cs inventory in complex mountainous topography, a whole-area investigation of Cs deposition in a broad-leaved forest catchment of a mountain stream was conducted using grid sampling. Across the catchment, organic and surface mineral soil layers were collected at 42 locations in 2013 and 6 locations in 2015. Cs deposition on the forest floor exhibited high spatial heterogeneity and altitude-dependent distribution over the catchment. The Cs retention ratio in the organic layer ranged from 6% to 82% in 2013. The Cs retention ratios had positive correlations with the material inventory in the organic layer and the elevation. The Cs retention ratios in the organic layer were less than 20% in 2015, even at the locations where the retention ratio was higher than 55% in 2013. Although there was spatial variation in the migration speed, Cs migration from the organic layer to mineral soil was almost completed within 4 y of the deposition.

Soundness survey of cooling tower of Utility Cooling Loop (UCL Cooling Tower) in JMTR

Oto, Tsutomu; Asano, Norikazu; Kawamata, Takanori; Yanai, Tomohiro; Nishimura, Arashi; Araki, Daisuke; Otsuka, Kaoru; Takabe, Yugo; Otsuka, Noriaki; Kojima, Keidai; et al.

JAEA-Review 2020-018, 66 Pages, 2020/11

JAEA-Review-2020-018.pdf:8.87MB

A collapse event of the cooling tower of secondary cooling system in the JMTR (Japan Materials Testing Reactor) was caused by the strong wind of Typhoon No.15 on September 9, 2019. The cause of the collapse of the cooling tower was investigated and analyzed. As the result, it was identified that four causes occurred in combination. Thus, the soundness of the cooling tower of Utility Cooling Loop (UCL cooling tower), which is a wooden cooling tower installed at the same period as the cooling tower of secondary cooling system, was investigated. The items of soundness survey are to grasp the operation conditions of the UCL cooling tower, to confirm the degradation of structural materials, the inspection items and inspection status of the UCL cooling tower, and to investigate the past meteorological data. As the results of soundness survey of the UCL cooling tower, the improvement of inspection items of the UCL cooling tower was carried out and the replacement and repair of the structural materials of the UCL cooling tower were planned for safe maintenance and management of this facility. And the renewal plan of new cooling tower was created to replace the existing UCL cooling tower. This report is summarized the soundness survey of the UCL cooling tower.

Validation of repairing method for concrete wall of the JMTR tank-yard building

Sugaya, Naoto; Okada, Yuji; Nishimura, Arashi; Sonobe, Hiroshi; Kimura, Nobuaki; Kimura, Akihiro; Hanawa, Yoshio; Nemoto, Hiroyoshi

JAEA-Testing 2020-004, 67 Pages, 2020/08

JAEA-Testing-2020-004.pdf:8.17MB

In the Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR), the leakage accidents of radioactive waste liquid were occurred from the tanks and pipes of the liquid waste disposal facility in the JMTR tank-yard building in JFY2014. In order to respond to the accident, the tanks and pipes were replaced from JFY2016 to 2019. On the other hand, a lot of cracks were occurred on the concreate wall of the tank-yard building when the frame structure supports were fixed to the concrete wall in the replacement work. Thus, it is necessary to repair the concreate wall of the tank-yard building. Especially, some cracks with swelling (cone-shaped fracture) were raised around some anchor bolts (the post-installed chemical anchor bolts) fixed the frame structure supports. The repairing method for the cone-shaped fracture of the concrete wall is standardized, but there was no reference value of tensile strength for the validation of the post-installed chemical anchor bolts after the repairing method. In this report, the repairing method was selected for the cone-shaped fracture on the concreate wall and the reference value of tensile strength for the validation of the post-installed chemical anchor bolts by this repairing method. The mock-ups for repairing cone-shaped fracture were fabricated by the selected repairing method and the tensile tests of the post-installed chemical anchor bolts were performed. From the results, the validation of the repairing method was obtained in this test and it was obvious the repairing of cone-shaped fracture is preferable method for the concreate wall of the JMTR tank-yard building.

A New perspective on the Cs retention mechanism in surface soils during the early stage after the Fukushima nuclear accident

Koarashi, Jun; Nishimura, Shusaku; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Muto, Kotomi; Matsunaga, Takeshi*

Scientific Reports (Internet), 9, p.7034_1 - 7034_10, 2019/05

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-43499-7

The aim of the present study is to explore the retention mechanisms of Cs in the surface soil layers of terrestrial ecosystems affected by the Fukushima NPP accident, with a specific focus on the interactions between Cs, soil minerals, and organic matter. Soil samples were collected from field, orchard, and forest sites in July 2011, separated into three soil fractions with different mineral-organic interaction characteristics. The results show that 20-71% of the Cs was retained in association with relatively mineral-free, particulate organic matter-dominant fractions in the orchard and forest surface soil layers. Given the physicochemical and mineralogical properties and the Cs extractability of the soils, Cs incorporation into the complex structure of particulate organic matter is likely the main mechanism for Cs retention in the surface soil layers.

Sources of Cs fluvial export from a forest catchment evaluated by stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic characterization of organic matter

Muto, Kotomi; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Koarashi, Jun; Takeuchi, Erina; Nishimura, Shusaku; Tsuzuki, Katsunori; Matsunaga, Takeshi*

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 314(1), p.403 - 411, 2017/10

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-017-5350-7

Fluvial export of particulate and dissolved Cs was investigated to reveal its sources and transfer mechanisms in a broadleaved forest catchment using a continuous collection system. The finest size fraction ( 75m), consisting of decomposed litter and surface mineral soil, was the dominant fraction in the particulate Cs load, although the contribution of coarser size fractions increased during high water discharge in 2014. The dissolved Cs originated from the decomposition of Cs-contaminated litter. Temporal changes in Cs distribution in the litter-mineral soil system indicated that the dissolved Cs load will be moderated in several years, while particulate Cs load has the potential to continue for a long time.

Year-round variations in the fluvial transport load of particulate Cs in a forested catchment affected by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Matsunaga, Takeshi; Nakanishi, Takahiro; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Takeuchi, Erina; Muto, Kotomi; Tsuzuki, Katsunori; Nishimura, Shusaku; Koarashi, Jun; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi; Sato, Tsutomu*; et al.

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 310(2), p.679 - 693, 2016/11

AA2015-0821.pdf:3.78MB

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-016-4840-3

Particulate Cs in stream water was collected continuously for two years in order to assess the long-term trend of the Cs discharge from the forest environment. Sampling was conducted from December 2011 to December 2013 in a mountainous stream, which received the Cs from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. A seasonal increase in fluvial transport load of particulate Cs associated with suspended solids (SS) was observed in August and September when rainfall was abundant. The particulate Cs concentration decreased at a faster rate than the rate due to radioactive decay. This decrease might be resulted from redistribution of the easily eroded and polluted soil surface due to heavy rain events such as typhoons. These findings indicate that the particulate Cs load was subject to the inter-annual variations in rainfalls, and decreased gradually over a long period of time due to a decrease in Cs concentration in SS.

Catchment-scale distribution of radiocesium air dose rate in a mountainous deciduous forest and its relation to topography

Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Koarashi, Jun; Takeuchi, Erina; Tsuzuki, Katsunori; Nishimura, Shusaku; Matsunaga, Takeshi

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 147, p.1 - 7, 2015/09

AA2014-0585.pdf:2.18MB

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.05.004

We collected a large amount of radiocesium air dose rate data by mountain-walking with a small -ray survey system, KURAMA-II, to create an air dose rate map of a mountainous deciduous forest that received radiocesium from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Measurements were conducted in a small stream catchment 0.6 km in size in August and September 2013, and the relationship between air dose rates and the mountainous topography was examined. Air dose rates increased with elevation, suggesting that more radiocesium was deposited on ridges, and that it had remained there for 2.5 years with no significant migration due to soil erosion or water drainage. Slope aspect also strongly affected air dose rates. By the continuous measurement using KURAMA-II, we describe the variation in air dose rates in a mountainous area and suggest that it is important to consider topography when selecting sampling points to estimating dose rates or contaminant deposition.

Topographic heterogeneity effect on the accumulation of Fukushima-derived radiocesium on forest floor driven by biologically mediated processes

Koarashi, Jun; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Takeuchi, Erina; Nishimura, Shusaku

Scientific Reports (Internet), 4, p.6853_1 - 6853_7, 2014/10

https://doi.org/10.1038/srep06853

The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant caused serious radiocesium (Cs) contamination of forest ecosystems located in mountainous and hilly regions with steep terrain. To understand topographic effects on the redistribution and accumulation of Cs on forest floor, we investigated the distribution of Fukushima-derived Cs in forest-floor litter layers on a steep hillslope in a Japanese deciduous forest in August 2013. Both leaf-litter materials and litter-associated Cs were accumulated in large amounts at the bottom of the hillslope. At the bottom, a significant fraction (65%) of the Cs inventory was observed to be associated with newly shed and less degraded leaf-litter materials, with estimated mean ages of 0.5-1.5 years, added via litterfall after the accident. Newly emerged leaves at the site were contaminated with Fukushima-derived Cs in May 2011 (two months after the accident) and Cs concentration in them decreased with time. However, the concentrations were still two orders of magnitude higher than the pre-accident level in 2013 and 2014. These observations are the first to show that Cs redistribution on a forested hillslope is strongly controlled by biologically mediated processes and continues to supply Cs to the bottom via litterfall at a reduced rate.