In this study, 46 reservoirs in South Korea were characterized based on heavy metal concentration in sediments. We analyzed the relationship between heavy metal concentrations, physicochemical water quality and hydromorphological factors in each reservoir. Study reservoirs were classified into five groups of reservoirs, by hierarchical cluster analysis based on the similarities of heavy metal concentration. Group 1 had the most severe sediment heavy metal contamination among the groups, whereas Groups 2 and 3 showed low levels of heavy metal contamination. Group 4 displayed high value of Ni, and Group 5 showed high contamination of Pb, Cu, Cr, Ni, and Hg. Groups 1 and 5, which had high concentration of heavy metals in sediments, showed a high density of mines in the catchment of reservoirs. Heavy metal concentration was high in reservoirs with large capacity or the ones located at higher elevation, and also highly related with number of mines in the catchment of reservoir. This study can contribute to the systematic management of sediment heavy metals in reservoirs.

In this study, heavy metals (lead, cadmium, and mercury) and shellfish poisoning toxins (diarrhetic shellfish poisoning toxins, amnesic shellfish poisoning toxins) were investigated in a total of 104 shellfishes. According to the analysis of heavy metals, lead (Pb) was detected in the range of 0.0177-0.5709 mg/kg, cadmium (Cd) was detected in the range of 0.0226-1.4602 mg/kg, and mercury (Hg) was detected in the range of 0.0015-0.0327 mg/kg. Levels of Pb, Cd, and Hg were acceptable by Korean standards. Okadaic acid (OA) and dinophysistoxin-1 (DTX-1) were investigated for monitoring of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning toxins and OA and DTX-1 were not detected. As a result of monitoring of amnesic shellfish poisoning toxins, domoic acid was detected in 5 of 104 samples and detection ratio was 4.8%. The detection period was found as follows; 1 case in January, 1 case in February, 1 case in May, 2 cases in September. These showed that continuous monitoring for the management of shellfish poisoning toxins and heavy metals is required. In addition, this study can be used as reference data to strengthen managing heavy metals in fishery products.

Radioactively contaminated metal components from a nuclear power plant must be decontaminated to reduce the risk of radiation exposure to workers, which can be cleaned using a foam decontamination used to reduce the amount of wastewater significantly. Metal components with a fixed radioactive contamination can be effectively decontaminated using a foam consist of 0.5wt% nonionic surfactant, 0.5 M H2SO4, and 0.2 M Ce(SO4)2. However, strongly acidic wastewater is generated from the decontamination method, which contains a high concentration of the nonionic surfactant and ionic materials with radioactive nuclides. This wastewater must be treated as a stable form. In this study, an integrated process of precipitation and low pressure distillation was evaluated for the treatment of wastewater. It was confirmed that the surfactant and ionic materials were effectively removed from the wastewater through the integrated process.

Currently, dismantling technology for decommissioning nuclear power plants is being developed around the world. This study describes the cutting technology and one of the technologies being considered for the RV/RVI cutting of Kori Unit 1. The dismantling technology for nuclear power plants include mechanical and thermal methods. Mechanical cutting methods include milling, drill saw, and wire cutting. The advantages of the mechanical method are less generating aerosol and less performance degradation in water. However, the cutting speed is slow and the reaction force is large. Thermal cutting methods use heat sources such as plasma arcs, oxygen, and lasers. The advantages of thermal method are fast cutting speed, low reaction force and thick material cutting. On the other hand, they have problems with fume and melt. Among them, the cutability of the oxygen cutting method is better in carbon steel than in stainless steel. In order to cut the RV/RVI of the Kori Unit 1, the applicability of fine plasma, arc saw, and band/ wheel saw is being reviewed. For RV cutting, the applicability of arc saw and oxy-propane is being considered Because RV is mostly made of carbon steel. However, since the flange is cladded with stainless steel, the use of mechanical methods such as wire saws should be considered. In the case of RVI, since it has a complicated shape and is made of stainless steel, it seems necessary to review various cutting methods. In addition, it will be necessary to minimize radiation exposure of workers by cutting underwater cutting.

Decontamination of spent nuclear fuel from decommissioned nuclear reactors is crucial to reduce the volume of intermediate-level waste. Fuel cladding hulls are one of the important parts due to high radioactivity. Their decontamination could possibly enable reclassification as low-level waste. Fuel cladding hulls used in research reactors and being developed for conventional light water reactors are Al-Mg and Fe-Cr-Al alloys, respectively. Therefore, the recovery of these component metals after decontamination is necessary to reduce the volume of highly radioactive waste. Electrochemical approach is often chosen due to its simplicity and effectiveness. Non-aqueous solvents, such as molten salts (MSs) and ionic liquids (ILs), are preferred to aqueous solvents due to the absence of hydrogen evolution. However, MSs and ILs are limited by high temperature and high synthesis cost, along with toxicity issues. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are synthesized from a hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) and donor (HBD) and exhibit outstanding metal salt solubility, wide electrochemical window, good biocompatibility, and economic production process. These characteristics make DES an attractive candidate solvent for economic, green, and efficient electrodeposition compared with aqueous solvents such acids or nonaqueous solvents such as MSs or ILs. In this research, the feasibility of electrodeposition of Al-Mg and Fe-Cr-Al alloys in ChCl:EG, the most common DES synthesized from choline chloride (ChCl) and ethylene glycol (EG), will be tested. A standard three-electrode electrochemical cell with an Au plated working electrode and Al wires for counter and reference electrodes is utilized. Two electrolyte solutions (Al-Mg and Fe-Cr-Al) are prepared by dissolving 100 mM of each anhydrous metal chloride salts (AlCl3, MgCl2, CrCl3, and FeCl2) in ChCl:EG. Cyclic voltammogram (CV) is measured at 5, 10, 15, and 20 mV·s−1 to observe the redox reactions occurring in the solutions. Electrodeposition of each alloy is performed via chronoamperometry at observed reduction potentials from CV measurements. The deposited surfaces and cross-sections are examined by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) to analyze the surface morphology, cross-section composition, and thickness. Authors anticipate that the presence of different metals will greatly affect the possibility of electrodeposition. It is expected that although all metals are distributed throughout the surface, the morphology, in terms of particle size and shape, would differ depending on metals. Different metals will be deposited by layers of an approximate thickness of a few μm each. This research will illustrate a potential for recovery and electrodeposition of other precious radioactive metals from DES.

Decontamination and Dismantlement (D&D) are of great interest to owner of decommissioning as a large number of old nuclear facilities around the world are either shutdown or soon to be decommissioned. D&D are key steps in the decommissioning of nuclear power plants (NPPs). These activities typically generate a significant volume of radioactively contaminated waste. However, as much as 90% or more of this waste is lightly contaminated metal and concrete that could potentially be cleared for recycle or beneficial reuse, rather than disposed of as radioactive waste. The objective of this study is to provide reference for the application of current technologies to cost-effectively reduce the volume of radioactive waste associated with decommissioning, through review of experiences with decontamination of NPPs materials for unrestricted release, recycle or reuse, Also, highlights the importance of ongoing efforts to harmonize regulations and standards for radioactive waste management globally to enable reuse and recycle of valuable materials generated during decommissioning. The presented results in the balance of this study are organized to align with the sequence of operations for executing reuse or recycle of material for a decommissioning project. Concrete from buildings has most commonly been used for backfill of voids onsite, while metal has most commonly been melted or cleared into the conventional scrap recycling industry. Copper and lead, commonly found in cables and shielding, have high residual value and are thus highly desirable for recycling. Steel and stainless steel, while not inherently valuable, are present in many large components, such that decontamination for recycling can be cost-effective compared to disposal as radioactive waste. The decontamination techniques range from simple, inexpensive methods to complex, aggressive methods, each with advantages in various scenarios and limitations in others. Treatment often involves the sequential application of two or more decontamination techniques (e.g., chemical decontamination followed by abrasive blasting). Strategies for the characterization of materials for recycling include analyzing material in place before dismantlement, analyzing removed samples before or after dismantlement, and evaluating bulk material removed after dismantlement. If clearance and recycling are permitted, metals can be released to the conventional scrap recycling market, and concrete rubble can be used as backfill material onsite. In general, successful reuse/recycle projects require consideration of reuse/recycling objectives and implementation of associated planning activities early in the decommissioning process. The practicality of reuse/recycle depends on a number of high level (country and region-specific) and component level (material and case specific) factors. Since this information is useful to those responsible for planning or implementing the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, it is expected that it will be of great help especially to those in charge of decommissioning plan and managers in charge of decommissioning projects.

The type of accidents associated with the operation of a melting facility for radioactive metal waste is assumed to only marginally differ from those associated with similar activities in the conventional metal casting industry or the current waste melting facility. However, the radiological consequences from a mishap or a technical failure differ widely. Three critical and at the same time possible accidents were identified: (1) activity release due to vapor explosion, (2) activity release due to ladle breakthrough, (3) consequences of failure in the hot-cell or furnace chamber not possible to remedy using remote equipment.

In this study, the current situation of recycling domestic and foreign metal clearance waste was reviewed to suggest the optimal recycling scenario for metal clearance waste that occurs the most when decommission nuclear power plants. Factors that can directly or indirectly affect the recycling of metal clearance waste were analyzed and evaluation criteria that can be used to evaluate optimal recycling measures were prepared. Using this, a scenario for recycling the optimal metal clearance waste suitable for the domestic environment was proposed. As a result of comparing/reviewing the importance of the first level of the evaluation criteria, public acceptance, national policy, and regulatory requirements were evaluated as the most important ones, and recycling acceptance and regulatory requirements were evaluated as the most important the second level of evaluation criteria. As a result of reviewing the clearance waste recycling scenario, it was evaluated that unrestricted recycling scenario was preferred. This may be because the survey subjects are composed of experts in the nuclear power field, so they know recycling of clearance waste in general industries does not significantly affect radiation safety. However even if it is clearance waste, the public may feel reluctant to recycle just because it was discharged from nuclear power plants, so policy and institutional improvements are needed to reassure the public along with the scientific safety of clearance waste. In addition, in order to improve public acceptance, it seems necessary to prepare specific measures to ensure the participation of public in the entire decommissioning process, share related information, and disclose all routes from generation to disposal of decommissioning waste. Considering that research on domestic clearance waste recycling options has not been activated, this study is significant in that it derives a scenario for recycling metal clearance waste that can be implemented. Also, it is expected that the evaluation criteria derived from this study will be used significantly when establishing a radioactive waste management strategy.

High-intensity focused ultrasonic (HIFU) decontamination technology to decontaminate complex metal radioactive waste was developed and verified. Ultrasonic decontamination technology is a method widely used in this field, but its energy strength is weak, so it cannot be applied to fixed contamination. The HIFU developed in this study can eliminate a wide range of fixed contamination due to the advantage of maintaining a high frequency while having hundreds of times the energy intensity compared to conventional general ultrasonic method. In addition, there is a merit in that there is no work that generates a lot of secondary wastes such as chemical decontamination method or threatens the safety of workers. In particular, high ultrasonic energy is transmitted to curved parts and inside pipes that cannot be decontaminated with blasting method, so various types of metal wastes can be treated with the HIFU method. In this study, the performance of the HIFU was verified for zirconium chips, and the radioactivity after decontamination was reduced to less than MDA in all subjects.

In this study, lenses are fabricated using various nanomaterials as additives to a silicone polymer made with an optimum mixing ratio and short polymerization time. In addition, PVP is added at a ratio of 1% to investigate the physical properties according to the degree of dispersion, and the compatibility with hydrophobic silicone and the possibility of application as a functional lens material are confirmed. The main materials are SIU as a silicone monomer, DMA, a hydrophilic copolymer, EGDMA as a crosslinking agent, and 2H2M as a photoinitiator. Holmium (III) oxide, Europium (III) oxide, aluminum oxide, and PVP are used. When Holmium (III) oxide and Europium (III) oxide are added based on the Ref sample, the characteristics of the lens tend to be similar overall, and the aluminum oxide shows a tendency slightly different from the previous two oxides. This material can be used as a silicone lens material with various nano oxides and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) acting as a dispersant.

We have prepared MIL-101/graphene oxide (GO) composites with various mixing molar ratio of Fe-containing metal– organic frameworks (MOFs) against GO. When synthesizing MOFs, it was possible to synthesize uniform crystal powders using hydrothermal method. MIL-101 consists of a terephthalic acid (TPA) ligand, with the central metal composed of Fe, which was the working electrode material for supercapacitors. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis had been done to ascertain microstructures and morphologies of the composites. Cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and galvanostatic charge–discharge measurements were performed to analyze the electrochemical properties of the composite electrodes in 6 M KOH electrolyte. By controlling the metal ligand mole ratio against GO, we prepared a changed MOF structure and a different composite morphology, which could be studied as one of the promising optimized electrode materials for supercapacitors.

Herein, a new and generic strategy has been proposed to introduce uniformly distributed graphitic carbon into the nanostructured metal oxide. A facile and generic synthetic protocol has been proposed to introduce uniformly distributed conducting graphitic carbon into the Co3O4 nanoparticles ( Co3O4 NPs@graphitic carbon). The prepared Co3O4 NPs@graphitic carbon has been drop casted onto the portable screen-printed electrode (SPE) to realize its potential application in the individual and simultaneous quantification of toxic Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions present in aqueous solution. The proposed Co3O4 NPs@graphitic carbon-based electrochemical sensor exhibits a wide linear range from 0 to 120 ppb with limit of detection of 3.2 and 3.5 ppb towards the simultaneous detection of Pb(II) and Cd(II), which falls well below threshold limit prescribed by WHO.

본 연구에서는 stainless steel로 재질로 된 금속평막모듈을 이용하여 고플럭스가 유지되면서 처리수의 안정화 방 안을 모색하였다. 이 모듈은 기공사이즈가 13 μm 단위여서 플럭스가 60 LMH에서 100 LMH까지 고플럭스로 운전이 가능하 다 그러나 SS가 초기 운전 시 30~50 ppm 정도 유출되지만 SS가 응집핵으로 작용하므로 응집이 가능하게 된다. 기존 고분자 막 여과수는 응집핵이 없어서 coagulation은 되지만 floculation이 안되므로 추가적으로 응집보조제인 clay나 벤토나이트를 투 여하게 되는데 본 연구에서는 이런 응집보조제 필요 없이 SS 누출만으로 floculation이 되므로 총인처리와 처리수질이 안정성 을 도모하고자 하였다. 최종적으로 안정적인 처리수에 고플럭스가 가능한 Metal필터 운전이 MBR 시스템에서 적용가능한지 타당성을 연구하고자 하였다.