Characterization of Weathered Glass by Analyzing Ancient Artifacts

Remedial insight on ageing of glass through the study of ancient man‐made artefacts

“…2018). Usually, ancient man‐made glass artefacts dated to about 1000–1500 bce are found in modern‐day Egypt and Iraq, while more recent man‐made glasses dated after about 500 bce are common archaeological artefacts found throughout the entire European and Mediterranean region (Kaplan 1980). The prevailing composition for the glasses made before about 1000 ce was found to be close to soda‐lime‐silica glass: about 70 mol% of SiO 2 , about 15 mol% of soda (Na 2 O) and about 10 mol% of lime (CaO), sometimes also containing small amounts of other chemical compounds, such as Al 2 O 3 , K 2 O, etc.…”

“…2010). The domination of one over the other appears to correlate with the chemical composition of the glass, particularly with SiO 2 , alkali and alkaline content, and the environment (Kaplan 1980; Adams 1984; Tournié et al . 2008; Jantzen et al .…”

“…The prevailing composition for the glasses made before about 1000 ce was found to be close to soda‐lime‐silica glass: about 70 mol% of SiO 2 , about 15 mol% of soda (Na 2 O) and about 10 mol% of lime (CaO), sometimes also containing small amounts of other chemical compounds, such as Al 2 O 3 , K 2 O, etc. (Kaplan 1980; Samek et al . 2007).…”

Stability of ceramic waste forms in potential repository environments: a review

“…For example, sodium may· leach more rapidly than cesium ·simply because .it is a smaller ion, able to diffuse more.read.ily through the matrik. ·As the·repos1tory·andwaste form age, ·many of the environmental factors dt°scussed above will vary, possi'bly altering the mechanisrn(s) controlling leaching and; conseq'ueritly, the le.ach ·rates< Kaplan (1980) ha.> noted that even if .only one· mechanism is operational in the corrosion of a materi.al (in the 'case of'his work, ancient glasses)' it may manifest itself 'in many ·different ways. Sufficient long-duration leaching·data are not available to permit a determination of long--term mechanisms (or'variations thereof) controlling leaching of a wast~ form exposed to.…”

Archaeology and public perception of a trans-scientific problem; disposal of toxic wastes in the unsaturated zone

“…Relatively little attention, however, has been given to using the state of preservation of dated manmade glasses and ceramics, from the archaeological record, as clues to selection of durable materials for waste containment. Notable exceptions are the reconnaissance studies of Kaplan (1980) and Kaplan and Mendell (1982), which contrast the state of preservation of glasses of varying ages and from different climates, and the work of Roy and Langton (1983), who studied the characteristics of ancient mortars and plasters dating to 5500 B.C. Further, the geologic literature has not been fully used by wastedisposal technologists for clues regarding rates of weathering of natural glass and selected rock types.…”