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Densification of Salt-Occluded Zeolite a Powders to a Leach-Resistant Monolith

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

Michele A. Lewis ,
Donald F. Fischer  and
Christopher D. Murphy
Michele A. Lewis
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory, Chemical Technology Division, Argonne, Illinois 60439
Donald F. Fischer
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory, Chemical Technology Division, Argonne, Illinois 60439
Christopher D. Murphy
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory, Energy Technology Division, Argonne, Illinois 60439
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Abstract

Pyrochemical processing of spent fuel from the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) yields a salt waste of LiCI-KCI that contains approximately 6 wt% fission products, primarily as CsCI and SrCl2. Past work has shown that zeolite A will preferentially sorb cesium and strontium and will encapsulate the salt waste in a leach-resistant, radiation-resistant aluminosilicate matrix. However, a method is still needed to convert the salt-occluded zeolite powders into a monolith suitable for geologic disposal. We are thus investigating a method that forms bonded zeolite by hot pressing a mixture of glass frit and sait-occluded zeolite powders at 990 K (717°C) and 28 MPa. The leach resistance of the bonded zeolite was measured in static leach tests run for 28 days in 363 K (90°C) deionized water. Normalized release rates of all elements in the bonded zeolite were low, <1 g/m2d. Thus, the bonded zeolite may be a suitable waste form for IFR salt waste.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 333: Symposium V – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XVII , 1993 , 277
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1994

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References

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