Abstract
Abstract A titanate-based ceramic waste form, rich in phases structurally related to zirconolite (CaZrTi2O7), is being developed as a possible candidate for immobilizing excess plutonium from dismantled nuclear weapons. The waste form is made by cold pressing and sintering of CaO, TiO2, ZrO2, A12O3, BaO, and Gd and Pu oxides. A prototype Pu-loaded ceramic that is being tested contains Pu,Gd-zirconolite-(3T), Pu-bearing brannerite, Gd-zirconolite-(4M), zirconolite-(2M) (see Figure 1), rutile (TiO2), Gd-bearing perovskites, various aluminotitanate phases, and undissolved plutonium oxide. Evidence from laboratory testing and natural analogues of titanates suggests that these phases are extremely corrosion resistant. Zirconolite-rich ceramics have also been considered for the disposal of actinide-bearing waste streams, because zirconolite and related polytypes are able to incorporate at least 20 wt% of actinides. However, since each phase in the multiphase ceramic corrodes at a different rate, the release of any one component or the corrosion of the bulk waste form is difficult to predict
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