TEPCO tries to find somewhere for Radioactive water -Toshiba Water Treatment Technology- Pie in the sky?

“Next month, Okamura’s group plans to flip the switch on new purifying equipment using Toshiba Corp. technology that is supposedly able to decontaminate the water by removing strontium and other nuclides, potentially below detectable levels, he said.

TEPCO claims the treated water from this new system is clean enough to be potentially released into the ocean”

 

By Mari Yamaguchi

NATIONAL OCT. 28, 2012

Japan Today

[…]

“…….To deal with the excess tainted water, the utility has channeled it to more than 300 huge storage tanks placed around the plant. The utility has plans to install storage tanks for up to 700,000 tons—or about three more years’ worth—f contaminated water. If that maxes out, it could build additional space for roughly two more years’ worth of storage, said Mayumi Yoshida, a company spokeswoman.
  
But those forecasts hinge on plans to detect and plug holes in the damaged reactors to minimize leaks over the next two years. The utility also plans to take steps to keep ground water from seeping into the reactor basements.
  
Both are tasks that TEPCO is still not sure how to accomplish: Those areas remain so highly radioactive that it is unclear how humans or even robots could work there.

  
There’s also a risk the storage tanks and the jury-rigged pipe system connecting them could be damaged if the area is struck by another earthquake or tsunami.
  
Goto, the nuclear engineer, believes it will take far longer than TEPCO’s goal of two years to repair all the holes in the reactors. The plant also would have to deal with contaminated water until all the melted fuel and other debris is removed from the reactor—a process that will easily take more than a decade.
  
He said TEPCO’s roadmap for dealing with the problem is “wishful thinking.”
  
“The longer it takes, the more contaminated water they get,” he said.

[…]

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/tepco-struggling-to-find-somewhere-to-store-contaminated-water

Strontium and water: reaction mechanisms, environmental impact and health effects -Lenntec
Lenntec -Water treatment solutions

In what way and in what form does strontium react with water?

Strontium reacts with water slowly, generally to strontium hydroxide and hydrogen gas. It reacts with water quicker than calcium, which is placed directly above strontium in the periodic chart, and slower than barium, placed directly below strontium.

The following reaction mechanism is applicable:

Sr (s) + 2H₂O (g) -> Sr(OH)₂ (aq) + H₂ (g)

Solubility of strontium and strontium compounds

Strontium is water insoluble, but it does react with water. Strontium compounds can be water soluble. Examples include strontium carbonate with a water solubility of 10 mg/L, and strontium chromate with a water solubility of 9 mg/L.

[…]

Which water purification technologies can be applied to remove strontium from water?

…

nothing listed as a purification technology??

http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/water/strontium/strontium-and-water.htm

note from arclight2011

I was unable to trace the Toshiba patent application for the new treatment system and only found a 1992 patent

October 28, 2012 - Posted by arclight2011 | Uncategorized