Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 15, 2405027 (2020)

Regular Articles

Preliminary Investigation of Pretreatment Methods for Liquid Scintillation Measurements of Environmental Water Samples Using Ion Exchange Resins
Shunya NAKASONE, Sumi YOKOYAMA1), Tomoyuki TAKAHASHI2), Masakazu OTA3), Hideki KAKIUCHI4), Shinji SUGIHARA5), Shigekazu HIRAO6), Noriyuki MOMOSHIMA7), Toshiya TAMARI7), Nagayoshi SHIMA7), Mariko ATARASHI-ANDOH3), Satoshi FUKUTANI2), Akinobu ISHIMINE, Masahide FURUKAWA, Masahiro TANAKA8,9) and Naofumi AKATA10)
University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara-cho, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
1)
Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan
2)
Kyoto University, 2 Asashiro-Nishi, Kumatori-cho, Sennan-gun, Osaka 590-0494, Japan
3)
Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirakata, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
4)
Institute for Environmental Sciences, 1-7 Ienomae, Obuchi, Rokkasho-mura, Kamikita-gun, Aomori 039-3212, Japan
5)
Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
6)
Institute of Environment Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan
7)
Kyushu Environmental Evaluation Association, 1-10-1 Matsukadai, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 813-0004, Japan
8)
National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi-cho, Toki, Gifu 509-5292, Japan
9)
SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 322-6 Oroshi-cho, Toki, Gifu 509-5292, Japan
10)
Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, 66-1 Hon-cho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8564, Japan
(Received 6 January 2020 / Accepted 25 March 2020 / Published 13 May 2020)

Abstract

This paper presents an evaluation of a rapid pretreatment method for tritium analysis, that uses ion exchange resins (the batch method). The standard water samples were prepared with river water collected in Okinawa, Japan. Powdex resin was used in this study, which is an ion exchange resins in the form of powder beads. First, 100 mL of the standard sample was stirred with the cation exchange (PCH) and anion exchange (PAO) resins, as well as with activated carbon. To determine the optimal stirring time, we tested stirring times of 5, 10, 20 and 30 min. Additionally, to determine a suitable amount of ion exchange resin for environmental water samples, variations in the amount of resin and activated carbon were tested. Under the conditions of Experiment-3 (0.3 g, 0.3 g and 0.6 g of PCH, PAO and activated carbon, respectively) and with a stirring time of 5 min, electrical conductivity values of less than 1 mSm−1 were achieved. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the removal of impurities in the sample water by ion exchange resins and confirm that such an effect can be achieved during a short period of time (i.e., in 5 min).

Keywords

environmental tritium analysis, rapid pretreatment method, ion exchange resin method, batch method, liquid scintillation counting

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.15.2405027

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