Selection of Scheme for Impregnation of Sodium Titanate onto Ion-Exchange Fibers for Radioactive Strontium Removal from Seawater

• Published in: Bulletin of the Society of Sea Water Science, Japan Vol. 68; no. 2; pp. 89 - 93
• Main Authors: UMINO, Satoshi, KONO, Michitaka, FUJIWARA, Kunio, SUGO, Takanobu, KAWAI-NOMA, Shigeko, UMENO, Daisuke, SAITO, Kyoichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: The Society of Sea Water Science, Japan 2014
• Subjects: Fiber; Impregnation; Radiation-induced graft polymerization; Seawater; Sodium titanate; Strontium removal
• ISSN: 0369-4550; 2185-9213
• DOI: 10.11457/swsj.68.89

For the removal of radioactive strontium dissolved in seawater in the harbor near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, two kinds of sodium-titanate (ST) -impregnated fiber were prepared by means of radiation-induced graft polymerization and subsequent chemical modifications: one was ST-impregnated fiber, or SSS-ST fiber, originating from cation-exchange fiber that was prepared by grafting sodium styrene sulfonate (SSS) onto a 6-nylon fiber, and the other was DMAEMA-ST fiber originating from anion-exchange fiber prepared by grafting dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) onto 6-nylon fiber. In a batch adsorption mode, these ST-impregnated fibers exhibited a higher removal rate of strontium in seawater than commercially available ST adsorbent (SrTreat) in a granulous form. At a mass ratio of seawater to fiber of 100, the percentages for the removal of strontium were 86 ％ and 83 ％ for the SSS-ST and DMAEMA fibers, respectively. From the viewpoint of endurance against alkaline conditions in the preparation scheme, the SSS-ST fiber was judged to be feasible for practical use.