Japan develops radioactive decontaminating fabric
December 11, 2012 - Japan
To battle the after effects of the massive radioactive destruction caused by Fukushima’s nuclear power plant, Japan has finally come up with an economical solution by creating a special fabric, which can decontaminate both water as well as soil.
Developed by Professor Kazuyuki Ishii and his research team from the Institute of Industrial Science (IIS) at the University of Tokyo, the special fabric can absorb nearly 99 percent of radioactive caesium dissolved in water and soil.
About one-fifth the price of conventional decontamination products, the reasonably priced fabric is capable of reducing radioactive caesium from 20 Becquerel to 2 or 3 Becquerel.
Dyed with an artificial pigment named Prussian, the product can be used in decontaminating rivers, ponds and soil containing caesium, said the country's largest public research organization IIS.
The cloth has been mass produced in collaboration with the Tokyo-based non-woven fabric specialist Ozu Corp.