Patent ID: 8702868

Claim:
A method for decontaminating nuclear plant surfaces having been contaminated with alpha emitters, the method comprising the following steps: performing a decontamination in which oxide layers present on said surfaces have been at least partially removed: treating said surfaces with an aqueous solution containing oxalic acid and a surfactant having a zwitterionic surfactant selected from an amino acid of a general formula HOOC—R—NH 2 where R is any organic substituent, or an N-oxide of a general formula R1-(NO)(R2)(R3) with an aliphatic radical R1 having from 4 to 24 C atoms and aliphatic radicals R2 and R3 each having from 1 to 10 C atoms; and feeding at least some of said solution through an ion exchanger after it has acted on said surfaces.