Leaching behavior of nuclear waste glass heterogeneities

Abstract

The results of a six-month burial experiment in granite are discussed. An alkali borosilicate simulated nuclear waste glass was buried in 3 m boreholes at the 345 m level in the Stripa mine. Some glass specimens containing crystallites exhibit preferential attack of the interface between crystalline and glassy phases. The crystalline phase, identified as spinel solid solution, exhibits better chemical resistance than the glassy phase. Results obtained from homogeneous and heterogeneous glasses (i.e., those containing a crystalline phase) are compared.