Experimental investigation on feasible bioreactor using mechanism of hydrogen oxidation of natural soil for detritiation system. (August 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Edao, Yuki; Iwai, Yasunori; Sato, Katsumi; Hayashi, Takumi
• Is Part Of: Applied radiation and isotopes. Volume 114(2016:Aug.)
• Page Start: 40
• Page End: 44
• Publication Date: 2016-08
• Subjects: Bioreactor -- Tritium -- Hydrogen oxidation -- Soil -- Hydrogenoxidizing -- Bacteria -- Detritiation; Radiology -- Periodicals; Radiation -- Industrial applications -- Periodicals; Nuclear chemistry -- Periodicals; Internet resource; Periodical; 660.298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2016.05.003
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0969-8043

Abstract

Abstract: A passive reactor for tritium oxidation at room temperature has been widely studied in nuclear engineering especially for a detritiation system (DS) of a tritium process facility taking possible extraordinary situation severely into consideration. We have focused on bacterial oxidation of tritium by hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria in natural soil to realize the passive oxidation reactor. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of a bioreactor with hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria in soil from a point of view of engineering. The efficiency of the bioreactor was evaluated by kinetics. The bioreactor packed with natural soil shows a relative high conversion rate of tritium under the saturated moisture condition at room temperature, which is obviously superior to that of a Pt/Al2 O3 catalyst generally used for tritium oxidation in the existing tritium handling facilities. The order of reaction for tritium oxidation with soil was the pseudo-first order as assessed with Michaelis-Menten kinetics model. Our engineering suggestion to increase the reaction rate is the intentional addition of hydrogen at a small concentration in the feed gas on condition that the oxidation of tritium with soil is expressed by the Michaelis-Menten kinetics model. Highlights: A bioreactor for tritium oxidation by soil at room temperature was studied. The efficiency of a bioreactor was evaluated by kinetics. A bioreactor was superior to a catalytic reactor generally used in tritium oxidation. A bioreactor with soil bacteria has the feasibility for a tritium oxidation reactor.