Nuclear techniques for waste water treatment

The electron beam technique can be used to treat water contaminated with waste, usually from industry, which cannot be disposed of by traditional methods without generating other waste.

In this process, an electron accelerator generates an electron beam capable of ionising water molecules, thereby generating active radicals that react with the harmful organic pollutants present in the wastewater. These pollutants are then degraded and converted into simpler chemical forms that can be treated more easily by traditional methods.

In June 2020, the world's largest facility with the capacity to treat 30 million litres of industrial wastewater per day using electron beams was inaugurated in China. This process will save 4.5 billion litres of fresh water annually, enough to quench the thirst of 100,000 people a year.

There are other facilities of this type, such as:

• Pilot plant in Jinhua, 300 kilometres southwest of Shanghai (2017). It can treat 1.5 million litres of wastewater per day from a nearby textile factory.
• Guanhua Knitting Factory facility, southern China (2019). The world's largest importer of worsted yarn. It can treat more than 30 million litres per day using seven electron accelerators, which allows more than 70% of the wastewater to be recycled for reuse in the factory compared to 50% before the technology change.

In China's textile industry, the world's largest textile producer, chemicals have traditionally been used to treat wastewater containing, for example, industrial dyes, whose long and complex molecules cannot break down, or starch, acids, salts, and detergents. However, with the strengthening of environmental protection policies, the industry is turning to this technology, which offers a highly efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective method of wastewater treatment as it saves treatment time and does not generate secondary waste as it can remove these molecules.