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Immobilisation of high level nuclear reactor wastes in SYNROC

Abstract

It is stated that the elements occurring in high-level nuclear reactor wastes can be safely immobilised by incorporating them within the crystal lattices of the constituent minerals of a synthetic rock (SYNROC). The preferred form of SYNROC can accept up to 20% of high level waste calcine to form dilute solid solutions. The constituent minerals, or close structural analogues, have survived in a wide range of geochemical environments for periods of 20 to 2,000 Myr whilst immobilising the same elements present in nuclear wastes. SYNROC is unaffected by leaching for 24 hours in pure water or 10 wt % NaCl solution at high temperatures and pressure whereas borosilicate glasses completely decompose in a few hours in much less severe hydrothermal conditions. The combination of these leaching results with the geological evidence of long-term stability indicates that SYNROC would be vastly superior to glass in its capacity to safely immobilise nuclear wastes, when buried in a suitable geological repository. A dense, compact, mechanically strong form of SYNROC suitable for geological disposal can be produced by a process as economical as that which incorporates radioactive waste in borosilicate glasses.
Authors:
Ringwood, A E; Kesson, S E; Ware, N G; Hibberson, W; Major, A [1] 
  1. Australian National Univ., Canberra. Inst. of Advanced Studies
Publication Date:
Mar 15, 1979
Product Type:
Journal Article
Reference Number:
AIX-10-463783; EDB-79-129089
Resource Relation:
Journal Name: Nature (London); (United Kingdom); Journal Volume: 278:5701
Subject:
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING; SOLIDIFICATION; CHEMICAL PREPARATION; CRYSTALLIZATION; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES; HOT PRESSING; LEACHING; MINERALIZATION; PEROVSKITE; RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL; TABLES; ZIRCONIUM OXIDES; ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS; CALCIUM COMPOUNDS; CALCIUM OXIDES; CHALCOGENIDES; DATA; DATA FORMS; DISSOLUTION; FABRICATION; INFORMATION; MANAGEMENT; MATERIALS WORKING; MINERALS; NUMERICAL DATA; OXIDES; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PEROVSKITES; PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS; PRESSING; PROCESSING; RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS; RADIOACTIVE WASTES; SEPARATION PROCESSES; SYNTHESIS; TITANIUM COMPOUNDS; TITANIUM OXIDES; TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS; WASTE DISPOSAL; WASTE MANAGEMENT; WASTE PROCESSING; WASTES; ZIRCONIUM COMPOUNDS; 052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing
OSTI ID:
5951467
Country of Origin:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Other Identifying Numbers:
Journal ID: CODEN: NATUA
Submitting Site:
INIS
Size:
Pages: 219-223
Announcement Date:
Jul 01, 1979

Citation Formats

Ringwood, A E, Kesson, S E, Ware, N G, Hibberson, W, and Major, A. Immobilisation of high level nuclear reactor wastes in SYNROC. United Kingdom: N. p., 1979. Web. doi:10.1038/278219a0.
Ringwood, A E, Kesson, S E, Ware, N G, Hibberson, W, & Major, A. Immobilisation of high level nuclear reactor wastes in SYNROC. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1038/278219a0
Ringwood, A E, Kesson, S E, Ware, N G, Hibberson, W, and Major, A. 1979. "Immobilisation of high level nuclear reactor wastes in SYNROC." United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1038/278219a0.
@misc{etde_5951467,
title = {Immobilisation of high level nuclear reactor wastes in SYNROC}
author = {Ringwood, A E, Kesson, S E, Ware, N G, Hibberson, W, and Major, A}
abstractNote = {It is stated that the elements occurring in high-level nuclear reactor wastes can be safely immobilised by incorporating them within the crystal lattices of the constituent minerals of a synthetic rock (SYNROC). The preferred form of SYNROC can accept up to 20% of high level waste calcine to form dilute solid solutions. The constituent minerals, or close structural analogues, have survived in a wide range of geochemical environments for periods of 20 to 2,000 Myr whilst immobilising the same elements present in nuclear wastes. SYNROC is unaffected by leaching for 24 hours in pure water or 10 wt % NaCl solution at high temperatures and pressure whereas borosilicate glasses completely decompose in a few hours in much less severe hydrothermal conditions. The combination of these leaching results with the geological evidence of long-term stability indicates that SYNROC would be vastly superior to glass in its capacity to safely immobilise nuclear wastes, when buried in a suitable geological repository. A dense, compact, mechanically strong form of SYNROC suitable for geological disposal can be produced by a process as economical as that which incorporates radioactive waste in borosilicate glasses.}
doi = {10.1038/278219a0}
journal = []
volume = {278:5701}
journal type = {AC}
place = {United Kingdom}
year = {1979}
month = {Mar}
}