Leaching fully radioactive SRP nuclear waste glass in tuff ground water in stainless steel vessels
SRP glass containing actual radioactive waste was leached in static tests at 90{sup 0}C in a tuffaceous ground water at an SA/V ratio of 100 m/sup -1/ in 316 stainless steel vessels. Tests were performed for up to 134 days. Normalized mass losses were calculated for /sup 137/Cs, /sup 90/Sr, and /sup 238/Pu. The /sup 137/Cs in the leachate appeared to reach a steady value of {approx}3 g/m/sup 2/, corresponding to steady state concentration of only 1.0 ppb for total cesium. The mass losses based on /sup 90/Sr and /sup 238/Pu appearing in solution were low (<0.3 and <0.01, respectively), because of their low solubilities. However, significant amounts of these radionuclides had deposited on the steel vessel, while the amount of deposited /sup 137/Cs was negligible. During the leach tests, the pH changed <0.4 units and the only significant effect of radiolysis was reduction of NO/sub 3//sup -/ ions in solution to NO/sub 2//sup -/. When compared to earlier tests, the results confirm that leach rates in the earlier tests with radioactive glass in Teflon vessels were high due to radiolysis of the Teflon. The results also indicate that radioactive and nonradioactive glasses of comparable composition and surface finish leach essentially identically.
- Research Organization:
- E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Savannah River Lab., Aiken, SC (US); Health Council of the Netherlands, The Hague (NL); Ministry of Housing, The Hague (NL)
- OSTI ID:
- 60713
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8608225--; ISBN 0-916094-82-0
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Leaching Savannah River Plant nuclear waste glass in a saturated tuff environment
Leaching Savannah River Plant nuclear waste glass in a saturated tuff environment
Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CESIUM 137
DISSOLUTION
GLASS
GROUND WATER
LEACHATES
LEACHING
PH VALUE
PLUTONIUM 238
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SOILS
SOLUBILITY
STAINLESS STEEL-316
STRONTIUM 90
TEFLON
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0273-0400 K
TUFF
VITRIFICATION
Yucca Mountain Project