A study on removal of cesium and strontium from radioactive liquid wastes using inorganic sorbents

Discharged radionuclides nuclear power stations have the potential to migrate through the marine food chain, possibly resulting in radiation exposures of the public, which presently however has been found to be well below the permissible limits. However, with a view to achieve further reduction in possible public exposures, it is necessary to examine ways for removal or reduction in the level of the significant radionuclides present in the liquid wastes, contributing to such exposures. With this in view an attempt was made in the laboratory, to remove mainly 137Cs and 90Sr from liquid wastes generated at MAPS using inorganic sorbents such as zeolite (Molecular Sieves) and magnesium carbonate. The details of the laboratory experiment conducted and the decontamination factors obtained for both 137Cs and 90Sr are discussed in the paper. The findings of the study serves to demonstrate the good potential of zeolite (molecular sieves) to remove both 137Cs and 90Sr simultaneously and magnesium carbonate to remove 90Sr alone from liquid waste, thus minimizing the radiation exposure to public through liquid waste discharges. (author)