Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 16, 2405035 (2021)

Regular Articles

Simple Pretreatment Method for Tritium Measurement in Environmental Water Samples using a Liquid Scintillation Counter
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), Kaori NAKAMURA, Akinobu ISHIMINE4), 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, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 322-6 Oroshi-cho, Toki, Gifu 509-5292, Japan
9)
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, 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 16 November 2020 / Accepted 1 February 2021 / Published 26 February 2021)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate quantitatively the effectiveness of the ion exchange resins and activated carbon in tritium measurement. A standard water sample was adjusted to a tritium concentration of 5 Bq L−1. This sample was stirred with the cation exchange (PCH) and anion exchange (PAO) resins and activated carbon. After stirring the samples, the supernatant in each sample was filtered through 0.45 μm membrane filters. The electrical conductivity in an experimental condition, where the amounts of PCH, PAO, and activated carbon were 0.3 g, 0.3 g, and 0.6 g, respectively, was lower than that of the sample treated by the distillation method. The distillation method requires approximately 12 h to process; however, the same level of results was achieved in 5 min. The tritium concentration in each experiment was within the standard deviation. These results suggested that proposed batch method involving ion exchange resins and activated carbon had negligible effect on tritium measurement. The ion concentration and the total organic carbon for the samples were decreased in 5 min. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the impurity removal from the sample water by ion exchange resins.

Keywords

environmental tritium analysis, rapid pretreatment method, ion exchange resin, activated carbon, batch method, liquid scintillation counting, ion chromatography, total organic carbon analysis

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.16.2405035

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