On 15 February 2022 ISTC Executive Director David Cleave and members of the ISTC Secretariat met with Dr Baurzhan Ibrayev, former NAC Kazatomprom JSC Executive Board member and founder of the Nuclear Energy Consulting & Services to discuss the topic of Tritium Water Treatment. Dr Ibrayev has been a resource person for several ISTC – implemented projects, most recently presenting Kazakh experience in mining uranium to African participants in the EU Project Support to Southern African states in Nuclear Safety and Safeguards.

The meeting was dedicated to a new technology designed to support the Fukushima recovery efforts. The Government of Japan has recently decided to start discarding Fukushima wastewater into the ocean. Prior to that, the contaminated water passes through a filtration system, which removes most of the radionuclides from the contaminated water, except for tritium. In light of that, an international research team headed by Dr Ibrayev offers a highly effective, low cost and low energy consuming method for the treatment of contaminated water. The technology implies detection and disposal of tritium and other heavy isotopes using a chemical method, followed by a consecutive trap of radioactive waste.

In the course of the meeting, potential new forms of collaboration were discussed through which ISTC could support the promotion of the innovative technology for Tritium Water Treatment, and thus facilitate the development and implementation of the know-how that can troubleshoot the problem of radioactive wastewater.