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Interim Waste Forms for High-Level Radioactive Wastes: Processing and Properties

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

G. Bandyopadhyay
G. Bandyopadhyay*
Affiliation:
Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, U.S.A.
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Abstract

Several simulated interim waste forms have been investigated in the laboratory to study their suitability for application in handling and transportation of high-level radioactive wastes to terminal processing sites. In the fused-salt/sludge option, the neutralized supernatant liquid and the precipitated sludge are treated simultaneously to form fused-salt cakes. Silicate-based options, in which sodium silicate or sodium silicate and Ca(OH)2 act as binders for the sludge, require prior separation of the sludge and the soluble radioactive constituents from the supernatant before the waste form can be prepared. The results from tests on simulated fused-salt waste forms indicated that the process simplicity of this option is partially offset by the high water solubility and hygroscopicity of the product, which would necessitate special precautions during transportation and storage. The most promising silicate-based option is the ambienttemperature silicate sludge process, in which the sludge is mixed with sodium silicate [and sometimes with Ca(OH)2] and subsequently exposed to a contrelled-humidity environment at room temperature to form a chemical bond. Solid material containing 75 wt % synthetic calcined sludge, prepared by this process, has sufficient physical, chemical, and mechanical stability for use as an interim waste form.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 6: Symposium D – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management IV , 1981 , 623
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1982

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References

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