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Title: High-level waste glass field burial test: leaching and migration of fission products

Abstract

In June 1960, 25 nepheline syenite-based glass hemispheres containing the fission products /sup 137/Cs, /sup 90/Sr, /sup 144/Ce and /sup 106/Ru were buried below the water table in a sandy-soil aquifer at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. Measurements of soil and groundwater concentrations of /sup 90/Sr and /sup 137/Cs have been interpreted using non-equilibrium migration models to deduce the leaching history of the glass for these burial conditions. The leaching history derived from the field data has been compared to laboratory leaching of samples taken from a glass hemisphere retrieved in 1978, and also to pre-burial laboratory leaching of identical hemispheres. The time dependence of the leach rates observed for the buried specimens suggests that leaching is inhibited by the formation of a protective surface layer. The effect of the kinetic limitations of the fission-product/sandy-soil interactions is discussed with respect to the migration of /sup 90/Sr and /sup 137/Cs over a 20 year time scale. It is concluded that kinetically limited sorption by oxyhdroxides, rather than equilibrium ion exchange, controls the long-term migration of /sup 90/Sr. Cesium is initially rapidly bound to the micaceous fraction of the sand, but slow remobilization of /sup 137/Csmore » in particulate form is observed and is believed to be related to bacterial action.« less

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment, Pinawa, Manitoba
OSTI Identifier:
6011133
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Nucl. Chem. Waste Manage.; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 5:1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; BOROSILICATE GLASS; LEACHING; WASTE-ROCK INTERACTIONS; CERIUM 144; CESIUM 137; HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES; RUTHENIUM 106; SOILS; RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION; STRONTIUM 90; AQUIFERS; CANADA; CHALK RIVER NUCLEAR LABS; FISSION PRODUCTS; RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL; UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL; AECL; ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES; ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES; BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; CANADIAN ORGANIZATIONS; CERIUM ISOTOPES; CESIUM ISOTOPES; DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; DISSOLUTION; ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT; EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI; GLASS; INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI; ISOTOPES; MANAGEMENT; MASS TRANSFER; MATERIALS; NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS; NORTH AMERICA; NUCLEI; ODD-EVEN NUCLEI; RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS; RADIOACTIVE WASTES; RADIOISOTOPES; RARE EARTH ISOTOPES; RARE EARTH NUCLEI; RUTHENIUM ISOTOPES; SEPARATION PROCESSES; STRONTIUM ISOTOPES; WASTE DISPOSAL; WASTE MANAGEMENT; WASTES; YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; 053000* - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects; 052002 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage; 510301 - Environment, Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Soil- (-1987)

Citation Formats

Melnyk, T W, Johnson, L H, and Walton, F B. High-level waste glass field burial test: leaching and migration of fission products. United States: N. p., 1984. Web. doi:10.1016/0191-815X(84)90007-X.
Melnyk, T W, Johnson, L H, & Walton, F B. High-level waste glass field burial test: leaching and migration of fission products. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-815X(84)90007-X
Melnyk, T W, Johnson, L H, and Walton, F B. 1984. "High-level waste glass field burial test: leaching and migration of fission products". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-815X(84)90007-X.
@article{osti_6011133,
title = {High-level waste glass field burial test: leaching and migration of fission products},
author = {Melnyk, T W and Johnson, L H and Walton, F B},
abstractNote = {In June 1960, 25 nepheline syenite-based glass hemispheres containing the fission products /sup 137/Cs, /sup 90/Sr, /sup 144/Ce and /sup 106/Ru were buried below the water table in a sandy-soil aquifer at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. Measurements of soil and groundwater concentrations of /sup 90/Sr and /sup 137/Cs have been interpreted using non-equilibrium migration models to deduce the leaching history of the glass for these burial conditions. The leaching history derived from the field data has been compared to laboratory leaching of samples taken from a glass hemisphere retrieved in 1978, and also to pre-burial laboratory leaching of identical hemispheres. The time dependence of the leach rates observed for the buried specimens suggests that leaching is inhibited by the formation of a protective surface layer. The effect of the kinetic limitations of the fission-product/sandy-soil interactions is discussed with respect to the migration of /sup 90/Sr and /sup 137/Cs over a 20 year time scale. It is concluded that kinetically limited sorption by oxyhdroxides, rather than equilibrium ion exchange, controls the long-term migration of /sup 90/Sr. Cesium is initially rapidly bound to the micaceous fraction of the sand, but slow remobilization of /sup 137/Cs in particulate form is observed and is believed to be related to bacterial action.},
doi = {10.1016/0191-815X(84)90007-X},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6011133}, journal = {Nucl. Chem. Waste Manage.; (United States)},
number = ,
volume = 5:1,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1984},
month = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1984}
}