The potential release of radionuclides into the environment has been a major issue of safety associated with nuclear energy. The technology related to the capture or immobilization of these radioelements is underlined recently due to the accident such as Fukushima. Understanding and control the transport of radioactive elements in the environment especially the soil system is important to evaluate the potential risk to human and ecological systems through food chain. This study was conducted to determine the role of straw-derived biochar on the immobilization of iodine as a typical radioelements. The iodine distribution coefficient (<i>K</i><sub>d</sub>) on biochar (759 L/kg) was much higher than on raw soil (about 88.9 L/kg). As a result, the addition of biochar dynamically enhanced the sorption capacity of iodine from 1.25 mg/g (raw soil) to 2.34 mg/g (1% biochar addition). The addition of biochar also decreased the desorption of iodine from soil particle to soil solution. The residual iodine in soil amended by 1% biochar was 1.6 times higher than the raw soil after a 24 hours desorption. The results indicated that the biochar retard significantly the transport of iodine in soil-water system even at a small amount (less than 1%).

Enhanced immobilization of iodine by biochar in soil-water system

249th National Meeting (2015)

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