Abstract
THE safe disposal of large quantities of high-level radioactive wastes from spent power reactor fuels, or reprocessing is a problem of considerable concern because of the danger which may arise from their release into the environment. We describe here a multi-barrier vitrification process which is conducted at moderate temperatures (below 900 °C) and which yields the fixation of radioactive wastes as oxides in a high-silica matrix. Some special characteristics of this process are discussed, including the excellent chemical durability, high thermal and structural stability of the glass, and the possibility of multibarrier protection.
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SIMMONS, J., MACEDO, P., BARKATT, A. et al. Fixation of radioactive waste in high silica glasses. Nature 278, 729–731 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/278729a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/278729a0
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