Feasibility Study on Immobilization of Radioactive Cobalt and BaSO4 Waste Powder Using Low-Temperature Sintering

Eun, Hee-Chul; Chang, N. O.; Kim, S. B.; Seo, B. K.

Feasibility Study on Immobilization of Radioactive Cobalt and BaSO4 Waste Powder Using Low-Temperature Sintering

2021

Eun, Hee-Chul | Chang, N. O. | Kim, S. B. | Seo, B. K.

BaSO₄ waste powder containing radionuclides generated from nuclear facilities must be immobilized into a stable waste form for final disposal. In this study, the immobilization of BaSO₄ waste powder containing simulant radioactive cobalt by low-temperature sintering was evaluated. A simulated decontamination waste was prepared as a BaSO₄ waste powder containing simulant radioactive cobalt, and Bi₂O₃-B₂O₃-ZnO-SiO₂ glass was used as a binding material for the immobilization. The simulated waste was immobilized into a monolithic waste form at 550 °C without the SO₂ gas generation. The glass was converted into crystal structures during the immobilization. The waste form had a high bulk density (5.05 g/cm³), and it showed a good compressive strength (21.92 MPa). It was also confirmed that the waste form had a high chemical durability through a semi-dynamic leaching test. In particular, the average leaching index of Co was 13.18. These results show that the immobilization has a potential application to BaSO₄ waste powder containing radionuclides for final disposal.

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