The storage tanks are projected to reach full capacity after the summer of 2022. Q6: Why is discharge of ALPS treated water needed?Ī: At Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS), water used for cooling fuel debris gets contaminated, treated, and then stored in tanks on site.
There were also problems with cross filter permeation and other troubles that degrade the performance of ALPS treatment. *In its early years of operation, ALPS treatment has been carried out by prioritizing the volume of water treatment so that it can reduce the radiation impact to outside the site as soon as possible. In the case of releasing it to the environment, the treated water will be sufficiently diluted also to meet the regulatory standard for tritium. Since FY2020, re-purification of the treated water has commenced to meet the regulatory standards for materials other than tritium. Q5: Does the treated water contain radioactive materials other than tritium?Ī: About 70 % of the treated water stored in tanks contains radionuclides other than tritium at the concentration which exceeds regulatory standards. IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) is “not aware of a solution currently available for the separation of tritium commensurate with the concentration and the volume of treated water”. Q4: Can tritium be removed?Ī: It is very difficult to remove tritiated water from water, as it has the same properties.Įxperts have concluded that there is no tritium separation technology that is immediately applicable to treated water with low concentrations and large volumes. * The half-life of tritium radiation is 12.3 years. * Amount of Tritium in human body: tens of Becquerels * Tritium concentration for tap water: 1 Becquerel/L It has not been confirmed to be accumulated in humans or specific organisms. Tritium is taken into the human body via drinking water and is excreted from the body, and then circulates in nature as the water does. Tritium exists naturally and is found in rain water, sea water, tap water and inside the human body as a form of tritiated water.
Q3: What is tritium?Ī: Tritium is a relative of hydrogen that emits a low level of radiation. *Though various measures have reduced the amount of contaminated water generated from 540 m 3 per day to about 140 m 3 per day, it is difficult to completely reduce the amount generated to zero because the groundwater level is always above the water level inside the building. Third, rainwater penetrates the roof of the building. Second, in order to prevent contaminated water in the reactor from flowing out of the building, groundwater is constantly flowing into the building. Q2: Why is “contaminated water” generated?Ī: Contaminated water is mainly generated from the following sources.įirst, cooling water is provided to the fuel debris in order to keep the reactor under stable conditions. “Tritium” cannot be removed by purification, and remains in the treated water. “Treated water” is water in which most of radionuclides* are removed by purification systems such as ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) to meet the regulatory standards for discharge, with the exception of tritium. “Contaminated water” contains a large amount of radioactive materials, and has been generated in buildings every day since the accident. A: “Contaminated water” and “ALPS treated water” are different.