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Crystal Chemistry of Natural Zirconolite: Implications for High-Level Waste Incorporation in Synroc

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

Reto Gierpé ,
C. Terry Williams  and
Gregory R. Lumpkin
Reto Gierpé
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1397, USA; e-mail: giere@purdue.edu
C. Terry Williams
Affiliation:
Department of Mineralogy, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
Gregory R. Lumpkin
Affiliation:
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, PMB 1, Menai, NSW 2234, Australia
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Abstract

Zirconolite, ideally CaZrTi2O7, is a relatively rare mineral crystallizing at different geological conditions and in a wide range of generally SiO2-poor rock types. Synthetic zirconolite is one of two major actinide (ACT) host phases in SYNROC, a very promising option for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste (HLW). The available samples of naturally occurring zirconolite cover an extensive range in ACT content, age and host rock type, and thus offer an ideal opportunity to study the relationships between alpha-decay doses, radiation damage, and geochemical alteration processes [1]. In this paper, we present results obtained from a statistical study of nearly 300 chemical analyses of natural zirconolite [2].

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 506: Symposium – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXI , 1997 , 1031
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1998

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References

REFERENCES

1 Lumpkin, G.R., Smith, K.L., Blackford, M.G., Hart, K.P., McGlinn, P.J., Gieré, R. and Williams, C.T., in Nuclear Energy, Science & Technology Pacific Partnership edited by McDonald, N.R. (Proc. 9th Pacific Basin Nucl. Conf. Inst. Eng., Sydney 1994), pp. 879–885.Google Scholar
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