Stabilization/Solidification of Radioactive Molten Salt Waste via Gel-Route Pretreatment

The volatilization of radionuclides during the stabiliza tion/solidification of radioactive wastes at high temperatures is one of the major problems to be considered in choosing suitable wasteforms, process, material systems, etc. This paper reports a novel method to convert volatile wastes into nonvolatile compounds via a sol−gel process, which is different from the conventional method using metal-alkoxides and organic solvents. The material system was designed with sodium silicate (Si) as a gelling agent, phosphoric acid (P) as a catalyst/stabilizer, aluminum nitrate (Al) as a property promoter, and H2O as a solvent. A novel structural model for the chemical conversion of molten salt waste, named RPRM (Reaction Product in Reaction Module), was established, and the waste could be solidified with glass matrix via a simple procedure. The leached fraction of Cs and Sr by a PCT leaching method was 0.72% and 0.014%, respectively. In conclusion, the RPRM model is to convert target wastes into stable and manageable products, not to obtain a specific crystalline product for each radionuclide. This paper suggested a new stabilization/solidification method for salt wastes by establishing the gel-forming material system and showing a practical example, not a new synthesis method of stable crystalline phase. This process, named “gel-route stabilization/solidification (GRSS)”, will be a prospective alternative with stable chemical process on the immobilization of salt wastes and various mixed radioactive waste for final disposal.