Microbial copper reduction method to scavenge anthropogenic radioiodine.

Unexpected reactor accidents and radioisotope production and consumption have led to a continuous increase in the global-scale contamination of radionuclides. In particular, anthropogenic radioiodine has become critical due to its highly volatile mobilization and recycling in global environments, resulting in widespread, negative impact on nature. We report a novel biostimulant method to effectively scavenge radioiodine that exhibits remarkable selectivity for the highly difficult-to-capture radioiodine of >500-fold over other anions, even under circumneutral pH.

Effects of pH and anions on the sorption of selenium ions onto magnetite.

This study analyzes the influence of carbonate and silicate, which are generally abundant in granitic groundwater, on the sorption of selenium ions onto magnetite in order to understand the behaviors of selenium in a radioactive waste repository. Selenite was sorbed onto magnetite very well below pH 10, but silicate and carbonate hindered the sorption of selenite onto magnetite. On the other hand, little selenate was sorbed onto magnetite in neutral and weak alkaline solutions of 0.