Alteration of vitrified radioactive waste in low temperature natural environments: a natural analogue approach.

This project focuses on determining the long-term (>10,000 yrs) behavior of nuclear waste glass within a geological disposal facility. The project will utilize 'natural analogue experiments', where glasses have been exposed to natural environments with conditions of relevance to radioactive waste disposal for tens to hundreds of years. A key outcome will be to compare glass alteration in these complex low temperature environments, with alteration observed in high temperature, laboratory dissolution tests. The PhD will work towards a detailed mechanistic understanding of glass durability in complex environments taking into account of how groundwater composition, adjacent mineralogy and microbiology affect the glass corrosion process.