Feasibility study on the management of electric arc furnace dust contaminated with 137Cs from the steelmaking industry

Accidental melting of orphaned 137 Cs sources during steel recycling leads to the generation of large volumes of contaminated electric arc furnace dust (EAFD), posing a major challenge in radioactive waste management. This study proposes an integrated treatment strategy involving selective leaching, followed by either chemical precipitation or adsorption to remove 137 Cs from EAFD. A sequential washing process using distilled water followed by 0.5 M HCl proved effective in extracting 137 Cs from the EAFD matrix. Both chemical precipitation and adsorption treatments achieved over 99 % removal efficiency of 137 Cs from the washing effluent. Precipitation with potassium copper hexacyanoferrate (CuKFC) minimized secondary waste (0.5 % v/v), whereas adsorption onto biomass-derived activated carbon functionalized with nickel potassium hexacyanoferrate (AC–NiKFC) offered a sustainable alternative. The resulting radioactive sludge was encapsulated within the central cavity of a concrete container, achieving efficient radiation attenuation. This comprehensive approach offers a cost-effective and sustainable solution for the remediation and volume reduction of 137 Cs-contaminated EAFD.