Nuclear Cleanups
St. Cloud Zeolite can be used as an ion exchanger for removal of radioactive cations such as Cs+ and Sr2+, which may be present in recycling waters of nuclear power stations or as environmental contaminants after accidents at such stations.
As a result of these capabilities, St. Cloud Zeolite has been an important tool in nuclear cleanups, including the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster.
Zeolites and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster
In March 2011, as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster hit the news worldwide, St. Cloud Mining
was already working with Kurion Inc. – a company specializing in permanent disposal of nuclear and hazardous wastes – to develop zeolite applications for cleaning difficult radioactive wastes and supplying the company with zeolite media.
Kurion, using St. Cloud Zeolite and Kurion’s proprietary processing techniques, was responsible for 70% of the cleanup of water in the first nine months after the disaster. St. Cloud Mining’s involvement in zeolite media supply is ongoing, and the Company continues to be one of the largest suppliers of media to the Fukushima disaster remediation efforts.