SYNTHESIS AND LEACHING OF BORON-CONTAINING RW GLASSES UNDER DEEP DISPOSAL CONDITIONS

The study focuses on the synthesis and characterization of three boron-containing glasses, namely, two borosilicate glasses and one borophosphate glass containing mockup RW elements (Se, Sr, Mo, Cs, La, U, etc.) and radionuclides ( ⁹⁹Tc, ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴1Am). It explores the glass-forming elements (Li, B, Na, Si, P, etc.), mockup RW and radionuclides and their leaching from the synthesized glasses in model underground water assuming the presence of barrier bentonite at temperatures of 25, 90 and 150°C. The study evaluates the changes in the elemental composition and density of the leached layer formed upon incongruent dissolution of glasses, as well as the time-dependent changes in the element concentrations of the leachates assuming different temperatures. For boron-containing glasses, it presents the evaluated concentrations of leachate saturation with glass-forming and RW elements under deep disposal conditions. These findings can be used in experimental and computational modeling of radionuclide transport under deep RW disposal conditions.

Keywords: radioactive waste, radioactive waste form, boron-containing glass, deep disposal, heat release, underground water, safety barrier, bentonite, leached layer, leachate, saturation concentration.

Martynov K. V., Andryushchenko N. D., Nekrasov A. N., Zakharova E. V. Synthesis and Leaching of Boroncontaining RW Glasses under Deep Disposal Conditions. Radioactive Waste, 2023, no. 3 (24), pp. 44—64. DOI: 10.25283/2587-9707-2023-3-44-64. (In Russian).