What is the concept of nuclear wastewater?

Nuclear waste water refers to waste water containing radioactive substances produced by nuclear power plants and nuclear-related medical institutions or laboratories.

The main source of nuclear waste water is the waste water generated during the normal operation of nuclear power plants, such as the cooling water of nuclear reactors. These wastewater will not directly contact the nuclear fuel and nuclear reactants in the core of the nuclear reactor, and can be safely discharged through the pipeline after treatment. In addition, the mining and refining of uranium and the application of radioactive elements in medicine, industry, agriculture and other industries will also produce nuclear wastewater.

Nuclear waste water and nuclear sewage are different. Nuclear sewage refers to water contaminated by nuclear fuel, such as high-level radioactive waste water produced in nuclear accidents, or cooling water in direct contact with nuclear fuel. Nuclear sewage usually contains a large number of radioactive elements, such as uranium, plutonium, cesium, strontium, iodine, cobalt and so on. It is highly radioactive and dangerous.

Nuclear wastewater treatment

1, chemical precipitation method

Chemical precipitation method can treat most low-level radioactive wastewater. The traditional chemical precipitation method mainly uses flocculant to make uranium ions in wastewater first adsorb on the surface of flocculant particles, and then form compounds to precipitate on the surface of particles. In addition, coagulant AIDS can be added in the flocculation process to improve the adsorption effect.

2, zero-valent iron reduction precipitation method

Among many reductants, iron and its low-priced compounds have attracted wide attention because of their easy availability, safety and environmental protection. Zero-valent iron powder can effectively remove radioactive element uranium from nuclear industry wastewater through coagulation and adsorption. The invention has the advantages of low cost, simple process and obvious effect, can recover waste residue containing radioactive elements, and is especially suitable for treating low-concentration nuclear industry wastewater.

The above contents refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-Nuclear Wastewater.