Project abstract

Radioactive materials are utilized for society’s benefit in science, medicine, industry, and defense for more than a century. However, safe and stable storage of radioactive waste generated from the nuclear reactors is still a major worldwide environmental issue.

During the past two decades, a substantial research has been devoted to developing, characterizing, and evaluating the performances of a high number of host matrix materials for stabilization and immobilization of fission products and actinide wastes. Conversion of these wastes to a stable solid form which will neither react nor degrade for extended periods of time is mandatory action to protect humankind and the environment from ionizing radiation. In this respect, the scientific motivation of the propose project is to obtain a glass composition which can meet the major requirements of immobilization of radioactive waste: solubility, chemical durability and thermal stability.

New vitreous compositions will be formulated and tested for simulation the radioactive waste behavior in glasses and glass-ceramics. The optimal conditions for the synthesis, structure, thermal stability as well as leaching rate of matrices will be designed. The solubility limits, the structure and behavior induce by compounds, valence state, and distribution of the constituents in the matrix will be amply provided.

The methods proposed for the investigations are complementary and provide a complex structural and behavioral image of the obtained materials. The obtained scientific results will be presented at the scientific events, in international conferences/workshops and published in prestigious ISI journals.