Aging geomembranes in uranium tailings leachate
Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) is performing a study to provide the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) with a database to support licensing of uranium mill tailings ponds with geomembranes. As part of this study, geomembranes have been aged under conditions closely approximating those of uranium mill tailings ponds with acidic leachate. The aging procedure and results of tests with high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are presented. No degradation products were detected in the HDPE or the leachate. We expect that HDPE will not suffer significant chemical attack by uranium tailings and acidic leachate over the active life (20 years or less) of a pond. Because no large changes in physical properties were observed, we expect that changes in the physical properties of HDPE will be minor at mill tailings ponds with acidic leachate. Although testing is still underway, the PVC geomembrane has undergone some chemical reactions. Elongation declined as exposure temperatures increased, while other physical properties remained constant. The amount of aging simulated will be estimated when chemical analyses on PVC samples are completed. 11 references, 3 figures, 4 tables.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 7068196
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA-11522; CONF-8406102-2; ON: DE84015585
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International conference on geomembranes, Denver, CO, USA, 20 Jun 1984; Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
MEMBRANES
AGING
MILL TAILINGS
LEACHING
POLYETHYLENES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PVC
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
LINERS
PONDS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
DATA
DISSOLUTION
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
POLYMERS
POLYOLEFINS
POLYVINYLS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLID WASTES
SURFACE WATERS
TAILINGS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
360404 - Materials- Polymers & Plastics- Physical Properties- (-1987)