Status of iron-enriched basalt as a medium for nuclear waste immobilization: a report by an independent peer review panel

Technical Report · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:5612713

Palmour, H III; Dosch, R G; Macedo, P B; Machiels, A J; Owen, D E

The purpose of the Peer Review Panel was to provide an independent review by experts in nuclear waste processing and materials on the adequacy of the existing data base for the iron-enriched basalt waste form developed by EG and G Idaho, and to evaluate the broad range of proposed applications for this waste form. It was not the purpose of this review to specifically rank iron-enriched basalt against other nuclear waste forms. It was the concensus of the Peer Review Panel that the concept, experimental research, and identification of potential applications of the iron-enriched basalt waste form were of high quality. Iron-enriched basalt is a primarily ceramic waste form with a residual glass phase. It has a broad range of composition, permitting the incorporation of a wide variety of nuclear wastes. The product has good mechanical strength and produces very low quantities of respirable particles under impact conditions. Matrix dissolution rates under neutral pH conditions are comparable to or lower than those of borosilicate glass. In the area of waste form characterization, the Panel recommended additional static and dynamic leaching tests as a function of pH and CO/sub 2/ in solution, and in brine solutions of varying composition. The panel also recommended that unprocessed transuranic (TRU) wastes be subjected to leach tests. Large-scale iron-enriched basalt castings in which the grain growth was uncontrolled have been observed to be less durable than controlled-grain-growth laboratory-scale castings. Therefore, the Panel also recommended leaching tests as a function of microstructure to determine ranges of acceptable microstructure. In the area of the IEB production process, the Panel recommended a variety of laboratory-scale and pilot plant-scale research.

• Research Organization: EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76ID01570
• OSTI ID: 5612713
• Report Number(s): EGG-WM-5586; ON: DE82010680
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052001 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360604* -- Materials-- Corrosion
Erosion
& Degradation
ALPHA-BEARING WASTES
BASALT
CERAMICS
DISSOLUTION
EVALUATION
EXPANSION
GLASS
IGNEOUS ROCKS
LEACHING
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MATERIALS TESTING
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
ROCKS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLIDIFICATION
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
TESTING
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THERMAL EXPANSION
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE
VISCOSITY
VOLCANIC ROCKS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES