No abstract

At present Na-Al-P-glass is used in Russia as matrix for high level nuclear waste which include a sufficient portion of 90Sr and 137Cs isotopes. It has been known that this type of glass is characterized by relatively poor hydrothermal stability above 120°C (Krilova et al., 1990 [1], Balukova et al., 1987 [2]). Although careful studies were devoted to the glass, some questions of geochemical behavior of Sr and Cs in the limits of the nearest repository environment have remained undecided. For example, these have been left uncertain: the mechanism of the glass leaching, phenomena limiting the glass dissolution, the detailed composition of newly formed phases, temperature dependence of the glass solubility. The main purpose of the present experimental investigation was to detect factors controlling Sr and Cs concentrations of aquous solutions and to study the possibility of new solid phase formation as a factor slowing down migration of Cs and Sr in water satureted circumstance.

The sorption of Sr and Cs has been investigated on Ca-Mg-bentonite preliminary treated by 0.1–1.0 m NaCl solutions at 25, 170–250°C during 0.5–7 months. The bentonite remained stable in these conditions. Moreover, hydrothermal treatment has raised the sorption activity of the bentonite. The treated bentonite has shown a strong selectivity for Sr and less pronounced one for Cs. The sorption of the elements increased with temperature and decreased with NaCl content more significant for Sr, than for Cs. The distribution ratio Rd was nearly independent on ion loading for Cs and strongly increased up to 104.5 mL/g in 10−2.0−10−0.5 meq/g ion loading interval for Sr, dropping sharply at more concentrations.