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Characterization of Solidified Radioactive Waste Due to theIncorporation of High-and Low-Density Polyethylene Granules and TitaniumDioxide in Mortar Matrices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 September 2012

Aleksandar Perić
Aleksandar Perić*
Affiliation:
Institute of nuclear sciences “Vinča”, P.O. Box 522, 11001 Belgrade, Yugoslavia
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Abstract

The rutile form of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and granules of highdensity polyethylene (PEHD) and low density polyethylene (PELD) were used toprepare mortar matrices for immobilization of radioactive waste materialscontaining ‘137Cs. PELD,PEHD and TiO2 were added tomortar matrix preparations with the objective of improving physico-chemicalcharacteristics of the radwaste-mortar matrix mixtures, in particular theleach-rate of the immobilized radionuclide. The diameters of the PELD andPEHD used varied from 0.2 to 2.0 mm. One type of PELD and two types of PEHDwere used to replace 50 weight percent of stone granules, average diameterof 2 mm, normally used in the matrix, in order to decrease the porosity anddensity of the mortar matrix and to avoid segregation of the stone particlesat the bottom of the immobilized radioactive waste cylindrical form. TiO2 was also added to the mortar formulation, replacing 5 and8 weight percent of the total cement weight, for each PEHD and PELDformulation. Cured samples were investigated under temperature stressconditions, where the temperature extremes were: Tmill = -20°C,Tmax= +70°C. Samples were periodically immersed indistilled water at the ambient room temperature, after each freezing andheating treatment. Results of accelerated leaching experiments for thesesamples and samples prepared exclusively with polyethylenes replacing 100percents of the stone granules and TiO2, treated innonaccelerated leaching experiments, were compared. Even using anaccelerated ageing leach test that overestimates 137Cs leachrates, it can be deduced, that radionuclide leach rates from the radioactivewaste mortar mixture forms were improved. Leach rates decreased from 5percent, for the material prepared with stone aggregate, to 3.1 to 4.0percent, for the materials prepared solely with PEHD, PELD or TiO2, and to about 3 percents for all six types of the TiO2-PEHD and TiO2-PELD mixtures tested.

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Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 465: Symposium II – Scienfific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XX , 1996 , 311
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1997

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References

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