Other

Chul-Yong Lee

Chong-Hun Jung

Hui-Jun Won

Won-Zin Oh

Gye-Nam Kim

Byung-Gil Ahn

Hoy-Sam Kwon

Byung-Jik Lee

A method and an apparatus for electrokinetically decontaminating the soil contained in a radioactive waste drum are disclosed. The radioactively contaminated soil is put into drums, and the drums are carried to a temporary storage or to a disposal site. If the extremely low level radioactive soil is decontaminated rather than carrying the soil to the temporary storage or to a disposal site, and if the decontaminated soil is returned to the nature, then the limited storage capacity can be saved. Further, if a high level radioactive soil is treated to a low level one, and if thus a low level radioactive soil is stored in a storage, then the safety is improved. In the present invention, electrodes are buried into the contaminated soil contained in a radioactive waste drum, and a dc current is supplied, so that the radioactive nuclide and impurities can be removed by the electroosmosis and the electromigration. The anode includes: (1) at least 3 or more metal tubes made of titanium or zircaloy and having a diameter of 5 cm or less; (2) at least 6 or more metal rods made of stainless steel, titanium, or zircaloy; and (3) stainless steel sieves. The cathode is a tube made of carbon steel, stainless steel, or palladium, and has a diameter of 10 cm or less.

Method for electro-kinetically decontaminating soil contained in a radioactive waste drum, and apparatus therefor

Growing community of inventors

Daejeon-Si, South Korea

Chul-Yong Lee