Radiocesium in Shiitake mushroom; Accumulation in living fruit bodies and leaching from dead fruit bodies

Guido-Garcia, F.; Sakamoto, Fuminori; David, K.*; Kozai, Naofumi; Grambow, B.

Chemosphere, 279, p.130511_1 - 130511_10, 2021/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130511

Cesium (Cs) accumulation by Shiitake was investigated to contribute to the elucidation of radiocesium-cycling mechanisms in forest environments. The results demonstrate that Shiitake non-specifically accumulates Cs while accumulating the essential element K and provide evidence that no selective Cs accumulation (or binding) sites exist within the Shiitake fruit body. Furthermore, the present results show that most accumulated Cs quickly leaches out from the dead fruit body with exposure to water. The leached Cs was largely adsorbable on clay minerals, suggesting that the Shiitake fruit body likely contains Cs in the cation form.

Thermal-neutron capture cross-section measurement of Np using graphite thermal column

Nakamura, Shoji; Endo, Shunsuke; Kimura, Atsushi; Shibahara, Yuji*

KURNS Progress Report 2020, P. 94, 2021/08

http://www.rri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/PUB/report/PR/ProgRep2020/ProgRep2020.html

The present study selected Np among radioactive nuclides and aimed to converge a contradiction between reported thermal-neutron capture cross sections. Neutron irradiation was carried out using the graphite thermal column equipped with the Kyoto University Research Reactor. A solution equivalent to 950 Bq order of radioactivity was pipetted out of a Np standard solution and dropped onto a fiber filter, which was then dried with an infrared lamp to prepare a Np sample. The Np sample was quantified using 312-keV gamma ray emitted from Pa in a radiation equilibrium with Np. To monitor a thermal-neutron flux component at an irradiation position, the Np sample was irradiated together with several stable nuclides as neutron flux monitors: Sc, Co, Mo, Ta and Au. The reaction rate of Np was obtained from gamma-ray yields given by Np and Pa, and then the thermal-neutron capture cross section of Np was derived.

Anisotropic physical properties of layered antiferromagnet UPtGa

Matsumoto, Yuji*; Haga, Yoshinori; Yamamoto, Etsuji; Takeuchi, Tetsuya*; Miyake, Atsushi*; Tokunaga, Masashi*

Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 90(7), p.074707_1 - 074707_6, 2021/07

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSJ.90.074707

Electrochemical studies of uranium (IV) in an ionic liquid-DMF mixture to build a redox flow battery using uranium as an electrode active material

Ouchi, Kazuki; Komatsu, Atsushi; Takao, Koichiro*; Kitatsuji, Yoshihiro; Watanabe, Masayuki

Chemistry Letters, 50(6), p.1169 - 1172, 2021/06

https://doi.org/10.1246/cl.210060

The electrochemical behavior of uranium (IV) tetrachloride in ionic liquid-DMF mixture was studied for first time in order to build a redox flow battery (RFB) using U as an electrode active material. We found a quasi-reversible U/U couple that could be applied to the anode reaction of the RFB.

Stoichiometry of lanthanide-phosphate complexes at the water surface studied using vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy and DFT calculations

Kusaka, Ryoji; Watanabe, Masayuki

Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 125(24), p.6727 - 6731, 2021/06

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c04583

Design and demonstration of the prototype nitrogen circulation refining system for nitride fuel fabrication (Contract research)

Iwasa, Toma; Takano, Masahide

JAEA-Technology 2020-024, 29 Pages, 2021/03

JAEA-Technology-2020-024.pdf:2.33MB

Partitioning and transmutation of minor actinides (MA) is an important issue to reduce volume and radio-toxicity of high-level radioactive wastes. In Nuclear Science Research Institute, we have been carrying out R&D on MA-bearing nitride fuel for accelerator driven system. In the actual nitride fuel fabrication process, a special nitrogen gas highly enriched with N is required to avoid C production from N by (n,p) reaction in the fuel. For the economical use of such expensive gas, we need a nitrogen circulation refining system that can remove carbon monoxide (CO) evolved by carbothermic nitridation of oxides and can use the nitrogen gas in the closed system without loss. To develop the system, at first we listed up the performance requirements, and then designed and assembled a prototype system for laboratory-scale demonstration. The system consists of CO removal unit and circulation unit that can automatically keep the system pressure and the gas flow rate constant. As a result of demonstration on the nitridation of oxide, both units completely satisfy the requirements. We confirmed that the concept can be applied to the actual fuel fabrication with further additional function such as automatic hydrogen feed for the control of decarburization.

Thermal-neutron capture cross sections and resonance integrals of the Am(n,)Am and Am(n,)Am reactions

Nakamura, Shoji; Shibahara, Yuji*; Endo, Shunsuke; Kimura, Atsushi

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 58(3), p.259 - 277, 2021/03

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2020.1819907

Research and development were made for accuracy improvement of neutron capture cross section data on Am among minor actinides. First, the emission probabilities of decay rays were obtained with high accuracy, and the amount of the ground state of Am produced by reactor neutron irradiation of Am was examined by -ray measurement. Next, the total amount of isomer and ground states was examined by -ray measurement. Thermal-neutron capture cross sections and resonance integrals were derived both for the Am(n,)Am and for Am(n,)Am reactions.

The Chemistry of uranium (II); Method and practice

Sato, Nobuaki*; Kirishima, Akira*; Watanabe, Masayuki; Sasaki, Takayuki*; Uehara, Akihiro*; Takeda, Shino*

Uran No Kagaku (II); Hoho To Jissen, 143 Pages, 2021/03

This book describes necessary facts when readers would have an opportunity to treat Uranium for experiments. In the content, the method section shows experimental facilities and equipment including method, and the practical section mentions solution and solid state experiments using Uranium and/or radioisotopes.

Online measurement of the atmosphere around geopolymers under gamma irradiation

Cantarel, V.; Lambertin, D.*; Labed, V.*; Yamagishi, Isao

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 58(1), p.62 - 71, 2021/01

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2020.1801531

The gas production of wasteforms is a major safety concern for encapsulating active nuclear wastes. For geopolymers and cements, the H produced by radiolytic processes is a key factor because of the large amount of water present in their porous structure. Herein, the gas composition evolution around geopolymers was monitored on line under Co gamma irradiation. Transient evolution of the hydrogen production yield was measured for samples with different formulations. The rate of its evolution and the final values are consistent with the presence of a chemical reaction of the pseudo-first order consuming hydrogen in the samples. The results show this phenomenon can significantly reduce the hydrogen source term of geopolymer wasteform provided their diffusion constant remains low. Lower hydrogen production rates and faster kinetics were observed with geopolymers formulations in which pore water pH was higher. Besides hydrogen production, a steady oxygen consumption was observed for all geopolymers samples. The oxygen consumption rates are proportional to the diffusion constants estimated in the modelization of hydrogen recombination by a pseudo first order reaction.

Flexible fuel cycle system for the effective management of plutonium

Fukasawa, Tetsuo*; Hoshino, Kuniyoshi*; Yamashita, Junichi*; Takano, Masahide

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 57(11), p.1215 - 1222, 2020/11

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2020.1779144

The flexible fuel cycle initiative system (FFCI system) has been developed to reduce spent fuel (SF) amounts, to keep high availability factor for the reprocessing plant and to increase the proliferation resistance for the recovered Pu. The system separates most U from the SF at first, and the residual material called recycle material (RM) which contains Pu, minor actinides, fission products and remaining U will go to Pu(+U) recovery from the RM for Pu utilizing reactor in future. The Pu utilizing reactor is FBR or LWR with MOX fuel. The RM is the buffer material between SF reprocessing and Pu utilizing reactor with compact size and high proliferation resistance, which can suppress the amount of relatively pure Pu. The innovative technologies of FFCI are most U separation and temporary RM storage. They are investigated by the literature survey, fundamental experiments using simulated material and analyses using simulation code. This paper summarizes the feasibility confirmation results of FFCI.