Research Program to Investigate the Fundamental Chemistry of Technetium
Technetium (99Tc, half-life = 2.13x105 years, ?-emitter) is one of the radionuclides of major concern for nuclear waste disposal. This concern is due to the long half-life of 99Tc, the ease with which pertechnetate, TcO4 -, migrates in the geosphere, difficulties in incorporating Tc into glass waste forms, and the corresponding regulatory considerations. The problem of mobility of pertechnetate in the environment is compounded by the fact that pertechnetate is the thermodynamically stable form of Tc in oxidizing environments. These factors present challenges for the separation and immobilization of Tc. The objective of this research project is to provide new knowledge about the chemical behavior of Tc so that the factors underlying its speciation in nuclear waste and in waste forms can be understood and the problems can be addressed. In particular, the behavior of Tc and Re in glass will be examined since Re is often used as a non-radioactive surrogate to predict the behavior of Tc.(1) In this project, glasses containing both Re and Tc will be prepared, so that the behavior of both metals can be compared under identical conditions
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Catholic University of America, Washington, DC
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- OSTI ID:
- 893269
- Report Number(s):
- EMSP-73778-2005; R&D Project: EMSP 73778; TRN: US0605967
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Research Program to Investigate the Fundamental Chemistry of Technetium
Research Program to Investigate the Fundamental Chemistry of Technetium