On February 15th, CNNC-China Isotope & Radiation Corporation （CIRC）shipped 500,000 Curie domestic CN-101 cobalt 60 from Shanghai Ocean Port to Thailand. This is the second time that China’s cobalt source has gone overseas experiencing from relying on imports to break the monopoly to achieve localization, and then “going global”.
China Isotope & Radiation Corporation and Qinshan Nuclear Power Company jointly established China Nuclear Tongxing, which is responsible for the production and sales of domestic cobalt 60 radioactive sources, and provides corresponding technical support and services to users. China Institue of Atomic Energy is responsible for the cobalt source packaging, and transportation of cobalt 60 rod bundles and finished product. In 2018, Cobalt 60 achieved large-scale export. CIRC’s “Technical R & D and Industrialization Project for Producing Cobalt 60 by Nuclear Power Heavy Water Reactor” won the China Industrial Award Nomination Award.
Currently, only a few countries in the world, such as Canada, China, and Russia, have cobalt 60 production capacity, and the international market has a bright future. CIRC and CNNC Tongxing are committed to expanding overseas markets. On the premise of ensuring the supply of domestic cobalt sources, they actively connect with foreign users and suppliers, laying a good foundation for exporting products overseas and establishing sales channels.
* Cobalt 60 is an isotope of cobalt. The radioactive source of cobalt 60 is widely applied in agriculture, industry, medicine and other fields. It can be used for radiation breeding, stimulation of yield increase, radiation control of insect pests, food preservation and storage, non-destructive inspection, radiation disinfection , radiation processing, radiation treatment waste, and radiotherapy for cancer and tumor. The raw material used in irradiation sterilization device for medical protective suits during the battle against the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia in China is cobalt 60.
