A Simple Compartment Model for the Dynamical Behavior of Medically Derived ¹³¹I in a Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant

Abstract

A compartmental model for the reactive flow of the radioisotope I, frequently introduced into the sewer system at varying concentrations through radiotherapy of thyroid diseases, has been developed for an existing municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). It includes the transition of activity from dissolved to suspended particulate and colloid matter, and the separation of phases in sedimentation basins. It has been parametrized by experimental data obtained at key locations in the plant, and validated by measured time series of activity concentration of inflow and outflow. It can be used to predict concentrations at various locations in the WWTP, including outflow and primary sludge. It can also be reparameterized to be applied to other WWTPs based on activated sludge systems. In principle, a modification for the simulation of other nuclides is possible as well. As radioisotopes of iodine form an important part of accidental releases from nuclear power plants, they are monitored, and their environmental behavior is predicted by models. The present work can contribute to these efforts by improving predictions of radioiodine transport in the public sewer system.

Occurrence of Iodophenols in Aquatic Environments and the Deiodination of Organic Iodine with Ferrate(VI)

“…The I – in Songhua River may partly originate from seaborne aerosol. , The I – in the WWTP effluent may partly come from I – -containing wastewater influent such as domestic sewage (containing iodized salt, etc.) and medical wastewater. , Disinfectants used in medicine (such as iodine tincture and iodophor) contain a high level of I – . , Medicated gargle, antimicrobial agents, and wastes from patients receiving treatment for thyroid diseases also contain I – . , These may be the source of the high level of I – in medical wastewater. In the production of shale gas, high-pressure water would contact with shale formations, which may contain a high level of I – , and the resulted shale gas wastewater contains a high level of I – as well. − …”

“…32,33 Medicated gargle, antimicrobial agents, and wastes from patients receiving treatment for thyroid diseases also contain I − . 34,35 These may be the source of the high level of I − in medical wastewater. In the production of shale gas, high-pressure water would contact with shale formations, which may contain a high level of I − , and the resulted shale gas wastewater contains a high level of I − as well.…”

Real-Time Imaging of Interfacial Copper(II) Ion-Initiated Selective Etching in the Core Region of Single Cuprous Oxide–Bismoclite Core–Shell Microcrystals

“…According to GLOBOCAN 2020, there are approximately new 586,000 TC cases, ranking ninth among all cancers. , 131 I as a strong γ-emitter is commonly utilized in the treatment of TC. , Although it has a relatively short half-life of 8.02 days, only 30% of the uptake of 131 I is carried to the thyroid, and 70% of 131 I is excreted in urine during metabolism . The wastewater containing 131 I in the form of iodide ions (I – ) is inevitably discharged into municipal drains, leading to potentially severe environmental and health hazards. , Efforts have been devoted to capturing and removing I – from water streams by exploring different approaches such as ion exchange, precipitation, and solid phase adsorption. , Silver-loaded porous materials and cuprite (Cu 2 O) have been demonstrated to serve as solid adsorbents for the selective adsorption of I – . , …”

Discharges of Nuclear Medicine Radioisotopes: The Impact of an Abatement System

“…Previous studies on waste water treatment plants (WWTP) showed an incomplete removal of 131 I (1–75%) and 99m Tc (~99%) (Rose et al 2012; Hormann and Fischer 2018). This contrasts with the drastic reduction due to the treatment of other parameters such as total suspended particles, chemical oxygen demand (COD), or biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), which reach mean removal of around 90–95% (Mulas et al 2019).…”