A large amount of small and medium-sized metal waste is generated during the decommissioning of nuclear power plants (NPPs). Metal waste is mostly contaminated with low-level radioactive, so it needs decontamination for self-disposal and recycling. A large amount of Organic Decontamination Liquid Waste during decontamination will be generated. The generated organic liquid waste is low in concentration, so the decomposition efficiency is low in the decomposition process. A conditioning process is necessary to concentrate at a high concentration. For effective treatment for Organic Decontamination Liquid Waste, the composition of organic liquid waste and conditioning process were analyzed. Organic acids, metal ions, radioactive nuclides, surfactants, etc. are present in the Organic Decontamination Liquid Waste, and suspended solids are sometimes generated by various reactions. According to previous studies, the concentration of organic acids including surfactants obtained results from several tens of ppm to a maximum of 1,000 ppm, so the maximum value of 1,000 ppm was assumed. For the composition and total amount of metal ions, the average value (52.7wt% Fe, 16.3wt% Ni, 15.1wt% Cr, 15.9wt% Mn) of the distribution of metal species removed by the actual decontamination process is applied, and the total amount is 1,000 ppm was assumed. As for the radionuclides, only 60Co and 137Cs, which are expected to be mainly present, were considered, and 60Co was assumed to be 2,000 Bq/g and 137Cs to be 360 Bq/g by referring to the literature. The amounts of suspended solids were assumed to be 500 ppm by referring to the characteristics of the liquid waste generated in the decontamination process of the NPPs. Based on the estimated value, a reaction formula was established and a simulated Organic Decontamination Liquid Waste was prepared. As a result of measurement using an analysis device, the composition of the estimated and simulated Organic Decontamination Liquid Waste had similar values. The conditioning and treatment process largely consists of pretreatment, conditioning, decomposition processes. Organic Decontamination Liquid Waste goes through a pretreatment process to remove impurities with large particles. In the conditioning process, treated water that has passed through the UF/RO membrane system is discharged into the environment. At this time, Concentrated water goes through a decomposition process for processing the Organic Decontamination Liquid Waste, and is discharged to the environment through a secondary RO membrane system. The conditioning process is the low-concentration Organic Decontamination Liquid Waste in the UF membrane system is forming a micelles in an RO membrane system, concentrating it to a high concentration and then go through a recirculation process in the UF membrane system. An experiment was conducted to confirm whether the concentration of surfactants occurred during the conditioning process. As a result of the experiment confirmed that the highly concentrated surfactant formed micelles and was filtered out in the UF membrane system.

Organic waste generated by small and medium-sized (S&M-sized) metal decontamination in NPP decommissioning. To lower the concentration of these organic substances for a level acceptable at the disposal site, the project of “Development of Treatment Process of Organic Decontamination Liquid Wastes from Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Plants” is being carried out. The conditioning and treatment process of organic liquid waste was designed. Also, the literature was investigated to make simulated organic liquid waste, and the composition of these waste was analyzed and compared. As the decontamination agent, organic acids such as EDTA, oxalic acid, citric acid are used. The sum of the concentrations of these organic materials was set to a maximum value of 1,000 ppm. The major metal ions of the decontamination liquid waste estimated are 59Fe, 51Cr, 54Mn, 63Ni, and the concentrations are respectively 527, 163, 161, 159 ppm. Additional major metal ions are 60Co, 58Co, 137Cs. 58Co is replaced by 60Co because it has the same chemical properties as 60Co. Unlike the HLW, the contamination level of S&M-sized metal in primary system was quite low, so 60Co is set to 2,000 Bq/g. Considering the contribution of fission and gamma ray dose constant, 137Cs was estimated to 360 Bq/g. Also, suspended solids of decontamination liquid waste were set at 500 ppm. Under these assumptions, the simulated organic liquid waste was made, and then organic substances and metal ions were analyzed with TOC analyzer and ICP-OES. The TOC analysis value was expected to 392 ppm in consideration of the equivalent organic quantity. the test result was 302 ppm. Some of organics appears to have been decomposed by acid. The values of metal ions (Fe3+, Cr3+, Mn2+, Ni2+) analyzed by ICP-OES are 139, 4, 152, 158 ppm, respectively. A large amount of Cr3+ and Fe3+ were expected to exist as ions, but they existed in the form of suspended solid. Mn2+ and Ni2+ came out similar to the expected values. The designed conditioning and treatment process is largely divided into pretreatment, conditioning, and decomposition processes. After collecting in the primary liquid waste storage tank, large particulate impurities and suspensions are removed through a pretreatment process. In the conditioning process, treated liquid waste passes through UF/RO membrane system, and pure water is discharged to the environment after monitoring. Concentrated water is decomposed in the electrochemical catalyst decomposition process, then this water secondarily passes through the RO membrane system and then discharged to the environment after monitoring. Through an additional experiment, the conditioning and treatment process will be verified.

본 연구는 고농도 CO2 환경에 순응한 호접란 유묘의 CO2 교환 및 생장 반응을 조사하기 위해 실시하였다. 환경 조절이 가능한 식물생장상에서 6주령 호접란 ‘만천홍’을 27주 동안 야간에 각각 400 ± 100, 900 ± 100, 1500 ± 100, 2100 ± 100μmol CO2·mol-1 농도로 유지해주었다. 처리에 앞서 발달해 있었던 최상위 성숙엽으로 측정한 야간 중 CO2 흡수량은 900μmol CO2·mol-1 처리구에서 가장 높았고, 이어 2100, 1500, 400μmol CO2·mol-1 순으로 높았다. 그러나 처리 7주 이후 새로 발달한 성숙엽에서 측정한 결과, 2100μmol CO2·mol-1 처리구가 야간 중 가장 높은 CO2 흡수량을 보였으며, CO2의 흡수량은 처리 CO2 농도가 높아질수록 증가하는 경향을 보였다. 생장 반응에서는 최상위 성숙엽의 엽장, 엽폭 및 생체량은 900, 1500, 2100μmol CO2·mol-1 등 고농도 처리구에서 감소하였으나, 신엽 발달은 고농도 CO2 처리 하에서 촉진되었다. 이러한 결과들은 호접란 유묘의 높은 CO2 환경에 대한 적응이 CO2 흡수와 신엽 발달을 증진시킬 수 있다는 것을 보여준다. 그러나 900μmol CO2·mol-1 이상의 고농도에서는 잎의 생장과 생체량이 다소 줄어드는 경향이 있어 이에 대한 원인구명 등 추가적인 연구가 필요하다.

This study investigated the effect of leaf form or phenotype and light intensity on the toluene, xylene, and ethylbenzene removal of three foliage plants. Green and variegated forms of Ardisia pusilla, Scindapsus aureus, and Hedera helix plants were grown under 10 and 20 μmol･m-2･s-1 light intensities for 8 months and were tested for their volatile organic compound (VOC) removal efficiency for 15 h. In general, variegated forms of the plant species have higher VOC removal after 15 h of VOC exposure than green plants, particularly when grown in 10 μmol･m-2･s-1. This is more evident in A. pusilla and S. aureus than in H. helix. The highest rate of toluene, m-, p-, and o-xylene removal per hour by plants grown under 10 μmol･m-2･s-1 was achieved by variegated A. pusilla, while for ethylbenzene, variegated A. pusilla and variegated H. helix had the highest removal rate per hour. In plants grown in 20 μmol･m-2･s-1 light intensity, variegated and green H. helix have the highest removal rate per hour of toluene and m-, p-, and o-xylene. For ethylbenzene, variegated A. pusilla and green and variegated H. helix had the highest removal rates per hour. The plant with the lowest removal rate per hour for all five VOCs was green S. aureus grown under both light intensities. The percentage VOC removal rate of variegated over green plants was 22% higher at a lower light intensity