Toshiba Corp says it has developed a revolutionary new technology designed to decontaminate radioactive soil from the area surrounding the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The technology was originally designed to purify radioactive water at the nuclear power plant, but its developers say it also removes 97% of cesium from radioactive soil.

Toshiba said in a statement that the device is currently capable of dealing with 1.7 tons of radioactive soil per day, but it is theoretically possible for a machine capable of processing 100 times that amount. The device uses crystalline adsorbents that have the ability to selectivity remove radioactive ions from liquids, soil and waste.

Toshiba also claims that the machine is capable of decontaminating radioactive ash from garbage incineration plants. The company hopes it will provide a nationwide solution to the problem of dealing with radioactive materials.

TBS reported that Toshiba plans to hold training conferences nationwide from next month to ensure that local governments and other associations across the country are able to properly operate the machinery.

© Japan Today