Multiple roles of clays in radioactive waste confinement – introduction

Abstract

Geological disposal provides the safe long-term management solution for higher-activity radioactive waste. The development of a repository (or geological disposal facility) requires a systematic and integrated approach, taking into account the characteristics of the waste to be emplaced, the enclosing engineered barriers, and the host rock and its geological setting. Clays and clayey material are important in the development of many national geological disposal systems. Clays exhibit many interesting properties, and are proposed both as host rocks and as material for engineered barriers. Whatever their use, clays present various characteristics that make them high-quality barriers to the migration of radionuclides and chemical contaminants. As host rocks, clays are, in addition, hydrogeologically, geochemically and mechanically stable over geological timescales (i.e. millions of years).

Potential of tropical expansive clays as natural sealing layer in nuclear waste repository system: a preliminary study

“…Nonetheless, the establishment of a repository with minimum hazard risk and economic implications is a significant environmental problem associated with this issue. Considerations for the development of a repository: characteristics of the waste to be deposited, engineering obstacles, geological context, and legal implications [2,3]. As a result of the increase in radiation applications, particularly in the fields of medicine, industry, and technology, Malaysia's present intermediate waste storage is predicted to be fully occupied by 2025 [4].…”

Impact of Uniaxial Mechanical Perturbation on Structural Properties and Smectite Porosity Features: Ion Exchanger Efficiency and Adsorption Performance Fate

“…Indeed, the most used materials in land ll disposal are compacted clay liner (CCL) and geosynthetic clay liner (GCL). e main reason for using such materials is their intrinsic properties, such as the large speci c surface areas (SSA), the low permeability, the cation exchange capacity (CEC), the high adsorption ability, and the low hydraulic conductivity [6][7][8][9][10][11]. Compacted clay liners are less expensive, and it has good attenuation capacity.…”