DECONTAMINATION OF RADIOACTIVE CESIUM FROM OCEAN SLUDGE BY MICRO-BUBBLE AND MICROORGANISMS

Abstract

The Fukushima nuclear accident of March 11, 2011, soil and water had been contaminated by
radioactive cesium. Moreover, radioactive cesium was found in the ocean sludge in Tokyo Bay by flowing
from rivers. Here, it cannot be easily removed the cesium which is adsorbed to the sludge. On the other hand,
one of the authors had developed the decomposition system for ocean sludge with circulation type by microbubbles, which decompose and purification sludge by activating the aerobic bacteria, after creating an aerobic
state by micro-bubbles. Here, based on the hypothesis that radioactive cesium is adsorbed on the surface of the
sludge deposition. It is considered that radioactive cesium can be eluted, after decomposing the deposited
sludge by using the decomposition system for ocean sludge with circulation type. If the cesium will be eluted
in the water, we can fix the cesium to existing technology such as “Zeolite”. In this study, our objects is to
consider the performance of removal of radioactive cesium after the decomposition of the deposited sludge, by
using the decomposition system for ocean sludge with circulation type by micro-bubbles and activating
microorganisms.