Stability of borosilicate glass with simulators of radionuclides in water

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription or Fee Access

Abstract

The rates of leaching of elements from B-Si glass with radionuclide simulators at 90°C after 14 days are reduced by 1–2 orders of magnitude due to the formation of a gel layer on its surface. The stability of glass in water after its contact with bentonite is lower than in distilled water. Alteration of the glass is determined by the diffusion of water into it, exchange of alkalis and protons, hydrolysis and breaking of bonds between atoms in the glass network, appearance of gel, saturation of the solution with silica and alumina, precipitation of secondary phases. Radionuclides remain in the gel layer and only B, alkalis, as well as U and Mo in higher oxidation states accumulate in the solution. A significant proportion of waste simulants in glass leaching products is found in form of colloids.

Full Text

Restricted Access

About the authors

V. I. Malkovsky

Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: malkovsky@inbox.ru
Russian Federation, 35, Staromonetny All., Moscow, 119017

S. V. Yudintsev

Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: yudintsevsv@gmail.com
Russian Federation, 35, Staromonetny All., Moscow, 119017

M. S. Nikolsky

Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: mnickolsky@gmail.com
Russian Federation, 35, Staromonetny All., Moscow, 119017

O. I. Stefanovskaya

Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: olga-stef@yandex.ru
Russian Federation, Bldg. 4, 31, Leninsky Ave., Moscow, 119071

References

  1. Aloi, A.S., Trofimenko, A.V., Kol’tsova, T.I., Nikandrova, M.V. [Physicochemical characteristics of vitrified model HLW at the Experimental and Demonstration Center of the Mining and Chemical Combine]. Radioaktivnye otkhody, 2018, no. 4(5), pp. 67–75. (in Russian)
  2. Boldyrev, K.A., Martynov, K.V., Kryuchkov, D.V., et al. [Numerical modeling of leaching of aluminophosphate glass in a static mode in the presence of bentonite]. Radiokhimiya, 2019, vol. 61, no. 5, pp. 427–432. (in Russian)
  3. Carslaw, G., Eger, D. Thermal conductivity of solids. (Translated from English). Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1964, 487 p. (in Russian)
  4. Laverov, N.P., Velichkin, V.I., Omel’yanenko, B.I., Yudintsev, S.V., et al. [Isolation of spent nuclear materials: geological and geochemical foundations]. Moscow, Institute of Earth’s Physics RAS, 2008, 280 p. (in Russian)
  5. Malkovskii, V.I. [Transfer of technogenic radionuclides in the Earth’s crust]. Moscow, OOO “Sam Poligrafist” Publ., 2020, 190 p. (in Russian)
  6. Martynov, K.V., Andryushchenko, N.D., Nekrasov, A.N., Zakharova, E.V. [Synthesis and leaching of boron-containing glasses for radioactive waste in deep disposal conditions]. Radioaktivnye otkhody, 2023, no. 3 (24), pp. 44–64. (in Russian)
  7. Martynov, K.V., Zakharova, E.V. [Interaction of groundwater with barrier bentonite and phosphate glass containing radioactive waste simulators]. Voprosy radiatsionnoi bezopasnosti, 2019, no. 3, pp. 23–39. (in Russian)
  8. Remizov, M.B., Kozlov, P.V., Logunov, M.V., et al. [Conceptual and technical solutions for the creation of vitrification units for flowing and accumulated liquid HLW at Mayak PA]. Voprosy radiatsionnoi bezopasnosti, 2014, no. 3, pp. 17–25. (in Russian)
  9. Tolchev, AV, Kazantseva, E.L., Kulikov, M.A. [Dynamics of solid-liquid interaction during heat treatment of aluminum hydroxide in distilled water]. Vestnik YuUrGU, 2012, no. 36, pp. 29–32. (in Russian)
  10. Alonso, U., Missana, T., Fernández, A.M., García-Gutiérrez, M. Erosion behaviour of raw bentonites under compacted and confined conditions: Relevance of smectite content and clay/water interactions. Applied Geochemistry, 2018, vol. 94, pp. 11–20.
  11. Backhouse, D.J., Fisher, A.J., Neeway, J.J., et al. Corrosion of the International Simple Glass under acidic to hyperalkaline conditions. Materials Degradation, 2018, vol. 2, p. 29.
  12. Birgersson, M., Hedström, M., Karnland, O., Sjöland, A. Bentonite buffer: macroscopic performance from nanoscale properties. In: Apted, M.J., Ahm, J., Eds. Geological repository systems for safe disposal of spent nuclear fuels and radioactive waste. 2nd ed. Woodhead Publishing, 2017, pp. 319–364.
  13. Cassingham, N., Corkhill, C.L., Backhouse, D.J., et al. The initial dissolution rates of simulated UK Magnox – ThORP blend nuclear waste glass as a function of pH, temperature and waste loading. Mineralogical Magazine, 2015, vol. 79(6), pp. 1529–1542.
  14. Damodaran, K., Gin, S., Narayanasamy, S., Delaye, J.-M. On the effect of Al on alumino-borosilicate glass chemical durability. Materials Degradation, 2023, vol. 7, p. 46.
  15. Debure, M., De Windt, L., Frugier, P., Gin, S. Mechanisms involved in the increase of borosilicate glass alteration by interaction with the Callovian-Oxfordian clayey fraction. Applied Geochemistry, 2018, vol. 98, pp. 206–220.
  16. Deissmann, G., Haneke, K., Filby, A., Wiegers, R. Dissolution behaviour of HLW glasses under OPERA repository conditions. OPERA-PU-IBR511A. Vlissingen, NL: Opera, 2016, 76 p.
  17. Fisher, A.J., Imran, M.N.B., Mann, C., Gausse, C., et al. The dissolution of UK simulant vitrified high level waste in groundwater solutions. J. of Nuclear Materials, 2020, vol. 538, p. 152245.
  18. Frolova, A.V., Danilov, S.S., Vinokurov, S.E. Corrosion behavior of some glasses immobilized with REE in simulated mineral solutions. Ceramics Intern., 2022, vol. 48, pp. 19644–19654.
  19. Gin, S., Abdelouas, A., Criscenti, L.J., Ebert, W.L., et al. An international initiative on long-term behavior of high-level nuclear waste glass. Materials Today, 2013, vol. 16, no. 6, pp. 243–248.
  20. Gin, S., Delaye, J.-M., Angeli, F., Schuller, S. Aqueous alteration of silicate glass: state of knowledge and perspectives. Materials Degradation, 2021, vol. 5, p. 42.
  21. Gin, S., Jollivet, P., Fournier, M., Angeli, F., Frugier, P. Origin and consequences of silicate glass passivation by surface layers. Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, p. 6360.
  22. Grambow, B., Müller, R. First-order dissolution rate law and the role of surface layers in glass performance assessment. J. of Nuclear Materials, 2001, vol. 298, pp. 112–124.
  23. Harrison, M.T. The effect of composition on short- and long-term durability of UK HLW glass. Procedia Materials Science, 2014, vol. 7, pp. 186–192.
  24. Honeyman, B.D. Colloidal culprits in contamination. Nature, 1999, vol. 397, pp. 23–24.
  25. Jantzen, C.M., Kaplan, D.I., Bibler, N.E., Peeler, D.K., Plodinec, M.J. Performance of a buried radioactive high level waste (HLW) glass after 24 years. J. of Nuclear Materials, 2008, vol. 378, pp. 244–256.
  26. Jantzen, C.M., Trivelpiece, C.L., Crawford, C.L., et al. Accelerated leach testing of glass (ALTGLASS): I. Informatics approach to high level waste glass gel formation and aging. Int. J. Appl. Glass. Sci., 2017, vol. 8, pp. 69–83.
  27. Johnson, L., King, F. The effect of the evolution of the environmental conditions on the corrosion evolutionary path in a repository for spent fuel and high-level waste in Opalinus Clay. J. of Nuclear Materials, 2008, vol. 379, pp. 9–15.
  28. Jollivet, P., Frugier, P., Parisot, G., Mestre, J.P., et al. Effect of clayey groundwater on the dissolution rate of the simulated nuclear waste glass SON68. J. of Nuclear Materials, 2012, vol. 420, pp. 508–518.
  29. Libourel, G., Verney-Carron, A., Morlok, A., Gin, S., et al. The use of natural and archeological analogues for understanding the long-term behavior of nuclear glasses. C. R. Geoscience, 2011, vol. 343, pp. 237–245.
  30. Net Zero Roadmap. A global pathway to keep the 1.5C goal in reach. 2023 Update. Paris, International Energy Agency, 2023, 224 p.
  31. Ojovan, M., Lee, W.E. Glassy waste forms for nuclear waste immobilization. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A., 2011, vol. 42A, pp. 837–851.
  32. Poluektov, P.P., Schmidt, O.V., Kascheev, V.A., Ojovan, M.I. Modelling aqueous corrosion of nuclear waste phosphate glass. J. of Nuclear Materials, 2017, vol.484, pp. 357–366.
  33. Status and trends in spent fuel and radioactive waste management. Vienna, IAEA, 2022, 88 p.
  34. Thorpe, C.L., Neeway, J.J., Pearce, C.I., Hand, R.J., et al. Forty years of durability assessment of nuclear waste glass by standard methods. Materials Degradation, 2021, vol. 5, p. 61.
  35. Zubekhina, B., Burakov, B., Shiryaev, A., Liu, X., Petrov, Y. Long-term chemical alteration of 238Pu-doped borosilicate glass in a simulated geological environment with bentonite buffer. Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, p. 6306.

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML
Download
2. Fig. 1. SEM image of glass before (a - EDS analysis sites are shown) and after (b, c) its contact with distilled (b) and bentonite (c) water at 90°C for 14 days.

Download (176KB)
Indexing metadata
3. Fig. 2. Rates of element leaching with ordinary (a, b) and bentonite (c, d) water.

Download (315KB)
Indexing metadata
4. Fig. 3. Dependence of colloidal fraction of elements content in solution on the time of experiment. Solid lines - experiments with distilled water, dotted lines - with bentonite water.

Download (111KB)
Indexing metadata

Copyright (c) 2024 Russian Academy of Sciences