Leaching behavior of glass ceramic nuclear waste forms

Technical Report · Sun Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5604658· OSTI ID:5604658

Lokken, R O

Glass ceramic waste forms have been investigated as alternatives to borosilicate glasses for the immobilization of high-level radioactive waste at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL). Three glass ceramic systems were investigated, including basalt, celsian, and fresnoite, each containing 20 wt % simulated high-level waste calcine. Static leach tests were performed on seven glass ceramic materials and one parent glass (before recrystallization). Samples were leached at 90/sup 0/C for 3 to 28 days in deionized water and silicate water. The results, expressed in normalized elemental mass loss, (g/m/sup 2/), show comparable releases from celsian and fresnoite glass ceramics. Basalt glass ceramics demonstrated the lowest normalized elemental losses with a nominal release less than 2 g/m/sup 2/ when leached in polypropylene containers. The releases from basalt glass ceramics when leached in silicate water were nearly identical with those in deionized water. The overall leachability of celsian and fresnoite glass ceramics was improved when silicate water was used as the leachant.

• Research Organization: Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5604658
• Report Number(s): PNL-4022; ON: DE82005595
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
053000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
BASALT
CERAMICS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DISSOLUTION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
GLASS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IGNEOUS ROCKS
LEACHING
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
ROCKS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
STORAGE
TITANATES
TITANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
VOLCANIC ROCKS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE
WASTES
WATER