Corrosion of glass used for radioactive waste disposal – State of the art

Abstract

Iron corrosion products of the steel canister in the nuclear waste container are highly silica sorptive materials and very much expected to delay formation of the protective layer (gel) on the nuclear glass interface. This study is focusing on the role of the iron carbonates (ankerite), which is probably one of iron corrosion products and already exists in the clay structure of the disposal depth. French SON68 inactive reference glass (alternative to the R7T7-type) samples are planned to leach in different series of experimental models with dissimilar quantities of natural ankerite. All batch experiments will be cultivated in synthetic Callovo-Oxfordian groundwater; where different pH (4-9) values and temperatures (35, 50, 90 °C) are considered. In this paper the state of the art of the radioactive waste glass corrosion in the circumstances of deep geological disposal were extensively studied.