New Solidification Materials in Nuclear Waste Management

Abstract

One of the major worldwide environmental issue is the long-term storage or disposal of nuclear waste. Research in solidification materials for long-term storage of high-level nuclear wastes in nuclear industry has started as an imperative need. During the last decade, new solidification materials have been developed for immobilization of actinides and fission products for geological disposal. The materials used for immobilization generally have relatively complex compositions. The structure of these materials investigates using diffraction and spectroscopic methods. Most of the interest has focused on their chemical durabilities and capacity of waste loading. Their physical and chemical properties should not be degraded by a-decay event irradiation from the incorporated actinides. The development of new materials either for storage or for disposal for a long time is still required. In this article, recent developments in the use of solidification materials for the immobilization of high level of nuclear wastes have been reviewed. The comparison of properties of solidification materials is summarized with several applications in connection with experience and technological needs in literature.