Japanese nuclear technicians have stopped the outflow of highly radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.
After trying and failing several times to stem the leak since it was discovered on Saturday, Tokyo Electric Power engineers succeeded early on Wednesday morning by injecting sodium silicate, or liquid glass, into the ground near a seaside “pit” from which the highly contaminated water had been seeping.
Tepco said it pumped 6,000 litres of sodium silicate – a chemical more often used as a wood preservative and an adhesive in car
engines – and a hardening agent into the ground near the pit, where the water was leaking from a 20cm crack. It had earlier tried to plug the leak with absorbent polymer, sawdust, newspapers and concrete.
The company cautioned that some contaminated water may still be reaching the sea from other smaller leaks, and said it was investigating.
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http://link.ft.com/r/S4XZQQ/QFE5IB/EKRAI/BMOPOX/183T0N/50/t?a1=2011&a2=4&a3=5
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