Natural glass from Deccan volcanic province: an analogue for radioactive waste form

Abstract

Deccan basaltic glass is associated with the differentiation centres of the vast basaltic magmas erupted in a short time span. Its suitability as a radioactive waste containment chiefly depends on alteration behaviour; however, detailed work is needed on this glass. Therefore, the basaltic glass was treated under hydrothermal-like conditions and then studied to understand its alteration. Moreover, comparison of these results with the naturally altered glass is also documented in this paper. Solutions as well as residue obtained after glass alteration experiments were analysed. Treated glass specimens show partial to complete release of all the ions during alteration; however, abundant release of Si and Na ions is noticed in case of almost all the specimens and the ionic release is of the order of Na > Si > K > Ca > Al = Mg > Fe > Mn > Ti. Scanning electron images of the altered residue show morphologies of smectite, montmorillonite and illite inside as well as outside of the secondary layers, and represent paragenesis of alteration minerals. It has been noticed that the octahedral cation occupancies of smectite are consistent with the dioctahedral smectite. The secondary layer composition indicates retention for Si, Al, and Mg ions, indicating their fixation in the alteration products, but remarkably high retention of Ti, Mn and Fe ions suggests release of very small amount of these elements into the solution. By evolution of the secondary layer and retention of less soluble ions, the obstructive effect of the secondary layer increases and the initial constant release rate begins slowly to diminish with the proceeding time. It has been found that devitrification of glass along the cracks, formation of spherulite-like structures and formation of yellowish brown palagonite, chlorite, calcite, zeolite and finally white coloured clays yielded after experiments that largely correspond to altered obsidian that existed in the natural environment since inception ~66 Ma ago.