Actinide leaching from waste glass: air-equilibrated versus deaerated conditions
Leach tests were conducted in aerated and deaerated solutions using glass containing /sup 239/Pu, /sup 237/Np and /sup 238/U, at temperatures of 25 and 75/sup 0/C and in deionized water, 0.03M NaHCO/sub 3/ and WIPP B salt brine for periods up to 341 days. Neptunium leaching was decreased by factors of 10 to 100 (depending on leach time) in the deaerated solutions at 75/sup 0/C. Plutonium leaching decreased by factors of 3 to 5 due to deaeration, but only in the deionized water leachate at 25/sup 0/C. Uranium leaching in salt brine and deionized water at 25/sup 0/C was decreased by factors of 2 to 5 in deaerated solutions. Time and temperature dependencies were also observed for the leaching of the actinides during the course of this work. After the first leach interval (2 days), the time dependent release curve for Pu was essentially flat or decreasing under all conditions, and maximum Pu solution concentration (at 25/sup 0/C), as implied by release in aerated leachate, agrees with independent solubility data. The low /sup 239/Pu releases observed in leach solutions are consistent with accumulation of /sup 239/Pu on the leached glass surface. The amounts of uranium and neptunium leached increased with time under most conditions. For Pu leaching, temperature has a small effect in deaerated leachates and negative effect in aerated leachates. Neptunium leaching generally increase with temperature under aerated conditions, but not in proportion to increases of matrix element leaching. In deaerated leachates, Np leaching decreases with temperature. Uranium leaching increases with temperature under aerated and deaerated conditions but not in proportion to matrix element increases. 4 figures, 6 tables.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA); Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 6083832
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-3971; ON: DE82003098
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
053000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BOROSILICATE GLASS
BRINES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATES
DATA
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GLASS
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
LEACHING
LOSSES
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
NEPTUNIUM 237
NEPTUNIUM ISOTOPES
NONMETALS
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXYGEN
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SODIUM CARBONATES
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TIME DEPENDENCE
URANIUM 238
URANIUM ISOTOPES
WASTES
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES