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Giant Filter From Richland Treating Leaking Radioactive Water In Japan

Kurion
Kurion's new water filtering system has arrived in Japan. It will help filter radioactive particles out of contaminated ground water at the earthquake-struck Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant.

 

An environmental cleanup company with engineering headquarters in Richland, Washington has just flown its second water treatment system to Japan with a massive plane.

It’s intended to treat thousands of gallons of radioactive water leaking from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant.

The cleanup company with the fix is called Kurion. Its system of customized railcars works like a gorilla-sized Brita water filter. Only this filter takes out nearly all the radioactive strontium.

Matt McCormick, who runs this new program for Kurion,  said Japan wants all the stored surface water cleaned up by this coming March.

“And that’s what is exciting about the second system,” McCormick said. “The first system proved its mettle, and the second system will do the same. And again that important goal to reduce radioactivity throughout the site.”

Kurion is working on another new system that would take out radioactive tritium in that same water stored in Japan.

Anna King calls Richland, Washington home and loves unearthing great stories about people in the Northwest. She reports for the Northwest News Network from a studio at Washington State University, Tri-Cities. She covers the Mid-Columbia region, from nuclear reactors to Mexican rodeos.