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Herbert's Quarry, South Wales – an analogue for host-rock alteration at a cementitious radioactive waste repository?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Elizabeth B. A. Moyce ,
Antoni E. Milodowski ,
Katherine Morris  and
Samuel Shaw
Elizabeth B. A. Moyce*
Affiliation:
Earth Surface Science Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Antoni E. Milodowski
Affiliation:
British Geological Survey, Nicker Hill, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK
Katherine Morris
Affiliation:
Research Centre for Radwaste and Decommissioining, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Samuel Shaw
Affiliation:
Research Centre for Radwaste and Decommissioining, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
*
*E-mail: Lizzy.Moyce@arup.com
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Abstract

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Cement in radioactive waste repositories will produce leachates of pH > 10 which may alter the host rock, affecting its ability to act as a barrier to radionuclide migration. To complement the many laboratory and modelling studies of rock alteration in cement leachates, analogue sites have been investigated to understand reactions at time scales relevant to geodisposal. However, analogue site histories may be poorly constrained and these systems may be influenced by site specific factors. Therefore increasing the number of sites studied is important to minimize uncertainty in the applicability of results. Herbert's Quarry has been characterized and assessed as a potential anthropogenic analogue. Streamwater sampling at the site identified Ca-rich fluids, ≤ pH 12, analogous to cement leachates. However, rock and sediment samples exhibited extensive CaCO3 precipitation in these fluids and no reaction of silicate rock. The streamwaters were also found to be oxidizing, unlike the reducing conditions expected at a repository, and temperatures were 15–25°C below those predicted for repositories. Therefore, Herbert's Quarry is believed to have limited applicability as an analogue in this context.

Keywords

hyperalkalineanaloguegeodisposalC–S–Hcarbonatestreamwater
Type
Research Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 79 , Issue 6 , November 2015 , pp. 1407 - 1418
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2015. This is an open access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2015

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