Use of thermal treatment with CaCl2 and CaO to remove 137Cs in the soil collected from the area near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

Abstract A massive amount of soils and inflammable materials of plants etc. contaminated by radiocesium are generated from decontamination work in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident affected area. In present study, the removal experiments of 137Cs in a soil collected from the FDNPP accident affected area were carried out in a lab-scale electrical heating horizontal furnace through thermal treatment with CaCl2 addition over a temperature of 900 – 1300 °C. The results indicated that the average radioactive concentration of 137Cs in the soil was 52.8 Bq/g. The removal ratio of 137Cs in the soil treated at 1300 °C was 96.3% when 20% CaCl2 was added. The addition of CaCl2 and CaO mixture exhibited a synergistic effect on the removal of 137Cs, relative to the addition of CaCl2 alone. Accordingly, the addition of CaCl2 or its mixture with CaO during thermal treatment is suggested to remove 137Cs in the soil collected from the FDNPP accident affected area. Additionally, segregation of the soil sample to fine and coarse fraction and then treated individually are also recommended.