Removal of Radioactive Cesium and Iodine Ions by Electrochemical Reduced Water
Click here to download the PDF copy of this study: Removal Efficiency of Radioactive Cesium and Iodine ERW
Abstract
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident on March 11, 2011 attracted people’s attention, with anxiety over
possible radiation hazards. Immediate and long-term concerns are around protection from external and internal exposure
by the liberated radionuclides. In particular, residents living in the affected regions are most concerned about ingesting
contaminated foodstuff, including drinking water. Efficient removal of radionuclides from rainwater and drinking water has
been reported using several pot-type filtration devices. A currently used flow-type test apparatus is expected to
simultaneously provide radionuclide elimination prior to ingestion and protection from internal exposure by accidental
ingestion of radionuclides through the use of a micro-carbon carboxymethyl cartridge unit and an electrochemically
reduced water production unit, respectively. However, the removability of radionuclides from contaminated tap water has
not been tested to date. Thus, the current research was undertaken to assess the capability of the apparatus to remove
radionuclides from artificially contaminated tap water. The results presented here demonstrate that the apparatus can
reduce radioactivity levels to below the detection limit in applied tap water containing either 300 Bq/kg of 137Cs or 150 Bq/
kg of 125I. The apparatus had a removal efficiency of over 90% for all concentration ranges of radio–cesium and –iodine
tested. The results showing efficient radionuclide removability, together with previous studies on molecular hydrogen and
platinum nanoparticles as reactive oxygen species scavengers, strongly suggest that the test apparatus has the potential to
offer maximum safety against radionuclide-contaminated foodstuffs, including drinking water.
Click here to download the PDF copy of the study: Removal Efficiency of Radioactive Cesium and Iodine ERW
Accreditation to free publication from PLOS one
Citation: Hamasaki T, Nakamichi N, Teruya K, Shirahata S (2014) Removal Efficiency of Radioactive Cesium and Iodine Ions by a Flow-Type Apparatus Designed
for Electrochemically Reduced Water Production. PLoS ONE 9(7): e102218. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0102218
Editor: Vishal Shah, Dowling College, United States of America
Received January 8, 2014; Accepted June 17, 2014; Published July 16, 2014
Copyright: 2014 Hamasaki et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: All experiments were performed using Kyushu university’s finance (Trust Accounts No. JAKF650803). The funder had no role in study design, data
collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
* Email: sirahata@grt.kyushu-u.ac.jp
