Nuclear wastewater refers to wastewater containing radioactive substances generated from nuclear power plants and facilities such as nuclear-related medical institutions or laboratories.
The main source of nuclear wastewater is the wastewater generated during the normal operation of a nuclear power plant, such as nuclear reactor cooling water, which does not come into direct contact with the nuclear fuel and 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 ore and the application of radioactive elements in medicine, industry, agriculture and other industries will also produce nuclear wastewater.
Nuclear wastewater and nuclear sewage are different. Nuclear sewage refers to water that has been contaminated by nuclear fuel, such as highly radioactive wastewater from a nuclear leak, or cooling water that has been in direct contact with nuclear fuel. Nuclear wastewater usually contains a large amount of radioactive elements, such as uranium, plutonium, cesium, strontium, iodine, cobalt, etc., and has a high radioactive intensity and danger.
Nuclear wastewater treatment
1, chemical precipitation method
Chemical precipitation method can deal with most of the low and medium level radioactive wastewater. The traditional chemical precipitation method is mainly to choose flocculant so that the uranium ions in the wastewater first adsorbed on the surface of the flocculant particles, and then form compounds and precipitate on the surface of the particles. In addition, in the flocculation process, can add coagulant to improve the adsorption effect.
2, zero-valent iron reduction and precipitation method
In many reducing agents, iron and its low-valent compounds because of its easy access, safety and environmental protection is widely concerned. Zero-valent iron powder can effectively remove the radioactive element uranium in nuclear industrial wastewater through coagulation and adsorption. Zero-valent iron reduction method of nuclear industrial wastewater treatment, low cost, simple process, the effect is remarkable, can be recovered containing radioactive elements of the waste residue, especially suitable for the treatment of low concentration of nuclear industrial wastewater.
Refer to Baidu Encyclopedia - Nuclear Wastewater