Authorities overseeing Japan’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, which was damaged in the March 11, 2011 tsunami, have recently announced that they will send in a remote-controlled decontamination robot equipped for dry ice blasting to clean-up radioactive material.
The robot is able to safely operate in the radiation-filled environment and will simultaneously spray the dry ice and vacuum up the hazardous substances dislodged by the cleaning process. The robot also carries eight (8) cameras on-board to enable operation from a distance safe for humans.
Wow … who would have thought that the same mesmerizing CO2 that makes haunted houses spooky, flash-freezes food and can be used as bait to trap mosquitoes would help scrub up after a horrific nuclear accident? Quite impressive.
This environmentally-friendly precision process uses no chemical solvents, leaves behind no blasting residues and does not abrade the surface. Dry ice blasting is conducted by propelling miniature ice pellets or small ice flakes at supersonic speeds, creating an amazing micro-thermal shock which allows even delicate electronics and equipment to be safely cleaned – and the dry ice vapourizes instantly, leaving only the remediated substance as a clean up and no big mess (of blasting media) to clean-up afterwards.
(By the way, the CO2 used is eco-friendly because it is reclaimed from existing industrial byproducts thereby not adding to greenhouse gasses.)
FERRO has been providing CO2 blasting service for many years now, so If you find yourself in need of hazmat removal, abatement, decontamination or remediation services of any kind – mold, asbestos, soils, tanks, trauma clean-up, etc. – contact us – when it has to be done right (the first time!)
