Reducing logistical barriers to radioactive soil remediation after the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant accident

We present an updated assessment of soil contamination due to the nuclear accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant on 11 March 2011. A safe limit for the spatial dose rate (micro-Sv/h) of gamma rays from 134,137Cs has been established in this work. Based on this value, the highly contaminated region within Fukushima Prefecture that must be decontaminated could be defined. Moreover, a conceptual model for the chemical speciation that occurred during the accident has been delineated. The compound model Cs2CO3 was found to be meaningful and practical (non-radioactive) to simulate contamination in our decontamination experiments. Finally, we explain the mechanism of action of our soil remediation technique, which effectively reduces the total volume of contaminated soil by isolating the highly Cs-adsorptive clay fraction. The adsorption of non-radioactive Cs atoms on clay particles with diameters <25 μm were analyzed using micro-particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE).