Minerals for encapsulation of high-level nuclear waste: simulating damage and durability
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Earth Sciences
Abstract
Radioactive waste disposal is the Achilles heel of nuclear power generation. The Eurobarometer poll of November 2001 revealed a majority of EU citizens would accept nuclear power if an assuredly safe and secure method of waste disposal was available. Yet concerns over the long-term aqueous durability of borosilicate glasses as hosts for high-level waste (HLW) have been noted since the 1970's. Learning from Nature, we have been using the fundamental insights provided by natural minerals to steer the search for synthetic materials that could far outperform the current glass technologies, especially in terms of how well they retain uranium and plutonium within their atomic scale structure when they are immersed in the potential groundwaters of a geological waste store. Our preliminary work has combined experimental work on the principles of crystalline architecture with computer simulations. These highlight the characteristics of damage to the surrounding crystal that occurs during radioactive decay, and show that the damaged regions form high-density shells around themselves. We propose to capitalise on our recent advances in understanding radiation damage accumulation in the mineral zircon, using accurate computer simulations, to test the hypothesis that zirconium and titanium oxides (with the pyrochlore structure) may be as impervious and robust in retaining radionuclides over geological time frames.
Organisations
Publications
Chappell HF
(2013)
Structural changes in zirconolite under a-decay.
in Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal
Lumpkin G
(2009)
Ion Irradiation of Ternary Pyrochlore Oxides
in Chemistry of Materials
Redfern S
(2018)
High-temperature breakdown of the synthetic iodine analogue of vanadinite, Pb 5 (VO 4 ) 3 I: an apatite-related compound for iodine radioisotope immobilization?
in Mineralogical Magazine
Seitkan A
(2016)
Processing double refractory gold-arsenic-bearing concentrates by direct reductive melting
in Minerals Engineering
Trachenko K
(2006)
Atomistic simulations of resistance to amorphization by radiation damage
in Physical Review B
Whittle K
(2007)
The effect of caesium on barium hollandites studied by neutron diffraction and magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance
in Journal of Materials Science
Whittle K
(2009)
Lanthanum pyrochlores and the effect of yttrium addition in the systems La2-xYxZr2O7 and La2-xYxHf2O7
in Journal of Solid State Chemistry
Zhao P
(2015)
Pressure-induced oversaturation and phase transition in zeolitic imidazolate frameworks with remarkable mechanical stability.
in Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
Description | Understanding of iodine, one of the key bioactive radioactive elements present in waste from civil nuclear energy production, has been improved so that we have a better appreciation of how iodine is incorporated into solid substrates. |
Exploitation Route | development of a waste form for radioactive iodine |
Sectors | Energy Environment |
Description | My work has led me to be being appointed to the Committee on Radioactive Waste Disposal (CoRWM) at BEIS and advising on current strategies for deep geological disposal and selection of a Geological Disposal Facility for radioactive waste. |
First Year Of Impact | 2016 |
Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Energy,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice |
Impact Types | Societal Policy & public services |