New applications of KNiFC-PAN resin for broad scale monitoring of radiocesium following the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster

Abstract

The absorber KNiFC-PAN, potassium-nickel hexacyanoferrate (II) (KNiFC) bound into modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) is capable of absorbing radiocesium with up to 99 % recovery. KNiFC-PAN was used to collect cesium during several cruises near Fukushima, Japan, and the U.S. and Canadian west coasts by passing seawater through 5 ml of KNiFC absorber followed by counting on a germanium well detector. Other applications of this resin include in situ collection via the use of the Clio SUPR sampler during a cruise in the Marshall Islands, and development of a wearable device containing the resin.

Unexpected source of Fukushima-derived radiocesium to the coastal ocean of Japan

“…The beach sand samples were homogenized, dried, and counted on a gamma detector at the Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory in Kanazawa University (Table S2). The water samples were spiked with stable Cs and passed through columns filled with 5 mL of potassium-nickel hexacyanoferratepolyacrylonitrile (KNiFC−PAN) ion-exchange resin (Czech Technical University, Prague, Czech Republic) for the extraction of radiocesium (34). Column Cs efficiency was determined by measuring the stable Cs in the filtrate via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.…”

Distribution and Evolution of Fukushima Dai-ichi derived 137Cs, 90Sr, and 129I in Surface Seawater off the Coast of Japan

“…Cs was then extracted via absorption onto columns containing 5 mL of KNiFC-PAN ion absorber resin (Czech Technical University, Prague). The resin was then dried at low temperature (<60 °C) for γ-counting on high-purity germanium well detectors. − The minimum detectable activity (MDA) for 137 Cs range was from 0.1–0.2 Bq·m –3 for average counting times of 50 h. Concentration uncertainties were calculated via propagation of uncertainties in count rate and detector calibrations. The extraction recovery for Cs was 91 to 99% across all samples, and the loss of Sr through the KNiFC-PAN resin was, on average, < 4%.…”

Activity concentration of Fukushima-derived radiocesium in the western subarctic area of the North Pacific Ocean in summer 2017

“…This figure was drawn using Ocean Data View software [23] separated using potassium nickel ferrocyanate-polyacrylonitrile resin (KNiFC-PAN Resin-B NC-B200-M, Lot FNCM170321, Triskem International) without adjustment of sample pH. The PAN resin has been used for the separation of radiocesium from seawater samples in previous studies [24][25][26][27]. The volume of the resin bed in a cartridge was about 5 mL (or about 1 g dry weight) and the flow rate of the seawater sample was 50 mL min −1 .…”

“…The total release of the directly-discharged radiocesium ( 134 Cs or 137 Cs) was estimated to be 2-6 PBq in many previous studies [5,6,[12][13][14]. As a result, the total (atmospheric deposition and direct discharge) release of 134 Cs or 137 Cs into the North Pacific Ocean was calculated to be [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] PBq approximately.…”