Application of silica gel to immobilise iodine waste by low-temperature sintering

ABSTRACT

The disposal of radioactive iodine waste is a top priority for the nuclear industry. This work mainly studies the replacement of crystalline material (SiO₂) in silicate-based material with amorphous material (silica gel) to immobilise iodine waste at low-sintering temperatures. The results show that under low-temperature sintering conditions, B₂O₃–Bi₂O₃–ZnO–silica gel is more suitable than B₂O₃–Bi₂O₃–ZnO–SiO₂ for immobilising iodine waste because the former one has a higher amorphous index and density than the latter. This novel insight can improve the disposal of radioactive waste at low-sintering temperatures.

KEYWORDS:

• Amorphous materials
• sintering
• silver iodide
• immobilisation of iodine waste
• SEM

Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the Project of State Key Laboratory of Environment-friendly Energy Materials, Southwest University of Science and Technology (No. 18FKSY0213), Sichuan Science and Technology Innovation Seedling Project Fund (2020125). This work was also supported by Postgraduate Innovation Fund Project by Southwest University of Science and Technology (20ycx0008).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Sichuan Science and Technology Innovation Seedling Project Fund: [Grant Number 2020125]; Southwest University of Science and Technology: [Grant Numbers 20ycx0008; 18FKSY0213].