Reduction of Radioactivity in The Environment

Period: 2003-2004Customer: Nuclear Safety Research Association (NSRA) of Japan.

Objective: study impact of some active substances onto an ability of some microbiological cultures to extract 137Cs from soil.

The following was subject to the research within the framework of the project:

• Ways of 137Cs extraction from soil samples by microbial culture.
• Interaction of some kinds of plants and cultures in order to extract 137Сs using wash-out (filtration) method – soil column and using bacterial extraction method.
• Impact of active substances, pH, temperature, and quantity of microbial culture onto 137 Cs extraction from Chornobyl-contaminated soils.
• Determination of N, P, and heavy metals in soil samples, aqueous extract, and plants.
• Changes in 137Cs distribution in 40-cm soil layer profile in big lysimeter.

The following data were obtained as a result of the project:

• plants have an impact onto radiocesium cohesion by a microbial culture; 50 g of 50% 137Сs was extracted in a small lysimeter with a soil sample using Bacillus sp. culture;
• radiocesium cohesion by a microbial culture changes by a factor of 5-6 due to active substances;
• 137С s accumulation in plant may be changed by a factor of 3-4 depending on a plant type and its interaction with a microbial culture.