Modeling behavior of Cesium-137 in a catchment area of wastewater treatment plant

Abstract

The present study investigated daily radiation data of Cesium-137 in sewage sludge in Fukushima prefecture by means of hydrological data analysis, towards the holistic understanding of Cesium-137 transport through the sewage system at a catchment scale. Our results showed that there are 4 sub-components that exist that have different recession time constants. By comparing total fall-out within the catchment and inflow to the plant within a period of 23 months, we have found that about 5% of the total fall-out of Cesium-137 have flowed to the wastewater treatment plant.