亚洲首座使用电子束技术的医疗废水处理示范设施今年在中国开始运营。
亚洲首座使用电子束技术的医疗废水处理示范设施今年在中国开始运营。清华大学核能与新能源技术研究院教授何仕均说：“这是首个中试规模（每天400立方米）的电子束用于医疗废水处理的示范。”该设施位于湖北省，可对医疗废水进行消毒和对抗生素进行分解，无需添加额外的消毒剂，也不产生二次污染。这一里程碑建立在国际原子能机构（原子能机构）大约十年前开始的研究和技术合作的基础上。“原子能机构在中国的电子束应用方面发挥了非常重要的作用，”何教授说。该设施于5月启用。
自2010年以来，原子能机构对侧重于电子束技术应用于工业废水处理的一个协调研究项目和一个技术合作项目提供了支持。“电子束技术在医疗废水处理中的进一步应用表明，中国正在持续取得进步，原子能机构传授核技术用于解决优先发展事项产生了切实的社会经济和环境影响，”原子能机构负责亚太地区技术合作事务的处长Gashaw Wolde说。
传统的水处理技术包括过滤、化学和生物处理。“传统的医疗废水处理工艺是向废水中注入次氯酸钠等化学消毒剂，以杀死微生物。但这很容易产生化学试剂残留物，废水中残留的抗生素无法降解，”西苑医院院长刘振伟说。基于电子束和γ辐射等先进氧化/还原工艺的核技术已成为消除微污染物的替代解决方案。
中国国家原子能机构与清华大学和中国广核集团有限公司的专家合作，在中国首次成功地将电子束辐照技术与医疗灭菌工艺相结合。联合研究团队开发了电子束技术应用设备，专门制造了一种用于对医疗废水进行辐照的新型自屏蔽电子加速器。还确定了检测病毒包括导致2019冠状病毒病的病毒的新方法。
“废水成分，包括污染类型和病毒类型，因医院而异，需要特定的技术和参数进行处理，才能达到国家标准，”原子能机构放射性同位素生产和辐射技术处处长Joao Osso Junior说。“使用电子束技术处理医疗废水不需要大量的能源投入或任何蒸汽或化学要求，使用这一技术还可避免危险物质运输所涉及的复杂因素，从而最大限度地减少对健康和环境的负面影响。”
电子加速器产生高能电子束，与微生物的脱氧核糖核酸/核糖核酸分子或细胞发生反应。这种反应可抑制微生物生长，并杀死病毒和病源细菌。何教授说，处理后的废水质量已经超过了中国的传染病医院废水处理标准，这对公共卫生非常重要，因为该处理设施靠近中国南水北调工程的一座主要水库。
利用新型自屏蔽电子加速器对医疗废水进行辐照。（照片来源：中国国家原子能机构)
这座采用电子束技术的最新示范设施源于多年的持续进展，这可追溯到2010年，那时，原子能机构开始传授处理工业废水的相关技术和专门知识。2012年，通过原子能机构的一个技术合作项目，包括清华大学何教授在内的中国科学家制定了一个使用电子束技术处理废水的计划。原子能机构为在其他国家现有设施的进修、一次国家培训班和数名就项目发展提供指导的访问专家提供了支持。
2017年，中国使用电子束处理工业废水的首座设施落成，去年，中国启用了世界上最大的电子束技术废水处理设施，其日处理能力为3000万升工业废水。
“核技术已在世界范围内广泛应用于工业、农业、医疗卫生保健以及环境保护，”中国国家原子能机构副主任张建华说。“在中国，它仍然是一个刚刚起步的新兴产业，具有很大的潜力为社会和经济发展，以及中国和全世界公共卫生的更美好未来做出贡献。”
阅读更多关于和平用途核技术和应用。
Conventional water treatment technologies include filtration, chemical and biological treatments. “The traditional process of the treatment of medical wastewater is to input chemical disinfectant, such as sodium hypochlorite, into the wastewater to kill the microorganism. However, it will easily produce chemical reagent residues, and the residual antibiotic in the wastewater cannot be degraded,” said Liu Zhenwei, Director General of Xiyuan Hospital. Nuclear techniques, based on advanced oxidation/reduction processes such as electron beam and gamma radiation, have emerged as alternative solutions to eliminate micropollutants.
The China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) worked with experts from Tsinghua University and the China General Nuclear Power Corporation to successfully combine EB irradiation technology with the medical sterilization process for the first time in China. The joint research team developed equipment for the application of EB technology, with a new self-shield electron accelerator manufactured specifically to irradiate medical wastewater. New methodologies to detect viruses, including the virus that causes COVID-19, were also established.
“The wastewater content, including the type of contamination and viruses, varies from hospital to hospital and requires specific technologies and parameters for treatment in order to meet national standards,” said Joao Osso Junior, Head of the IAEA Section of Radioisotope Products and Radiation Technology. “EB technology for medical wastewater treatment does not require a large amount of energy input or any steam or chemical requirement, and the complications involved in the transport of hazardous substances are avoided by using this technology, which minimizes negative impacts on health and the environment.”
The electron accelerator produces high energy EBs to react with DNA/RNA molecules or cells of microorganisms. The reaction hinders microbial growth and kills viruses and pathogenic bacteria. The quality of the treated wastewater has exceeded China’s standard for disposal of wastewater by infectious disease hospitals, said He, which is significant for public health since the treatment facility is near a major reservoir that feeds into China’s South-to-North Water Diversion Project.
A new self-shield electron accelerator is used to irradiate medical wastewater. (Photo: China Atomic Energy Authority)
The latest demonstration facility involving EB technology stems from years of ongoing progress that can be traced to 2010, when the IAEA began transferring related technology and know-how to treat industrial wastewater. In 2012, through an IAEA technical cooperation project, Chinese scientists, including He of Tsinghua University, developed a programme to treat wastewater with EB technology. The IAEA supported fellowships at existing facilities in other countries, a national training course and visiting experts, who provided guidance on project development.
In 2017, China inaugurated its first facility that uses EBs to treat industrial wastewater, and last year, China opened the world’s largest wastewater treatment facility using EB technology, with the capacity to treat 30 million litres of industrial wastewater per day.
“Nuclear technology has been widely used worldwide in industries, agriculture, medical and health care, as well as environmental protection,” said Zhang Jianhua, Vice Chairman of CAEA. “In China, it is still a new industry that is just getting started, and it has much potential to contribute to social and economic development, as well as to a better future for China and the world’s public health.”
Read more about nuclear technology and applications for peaceful purposes.