Glass/steel/clay interactions in a simulated radioactive waste geological disposal system

Deep geological storage is the accepted solution for the final disposal of high-level radioactive waste therefore, it is necessary to study the host rock of the planned Hungarian waste repository and the materials involved in the engineered barriers. The main goal was to understand the characteristics and stability of the glass/steel/claystone system, from the structural properties of the vitrified waste (borosilicate glasses) to the clay response in the repository. Repository conditions were applied during the experiments to understand the chemical evolution of the system. A triplicate setup was kept at 80 °C for 3, 7 and 12 months and post-mortem characterization was performed. No alteration products were observed with scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy measurements on the surface of the glass and Fe or in the clay after the end of the experimental period. Based on the elemental analysis of the liquid phase, the released amount of B, K, Si and Na increased, while that of Ca and Mg decreased compared to the baseline. The concentrations of Cl(−) and SO(4)(2−) did not change significantly. Ca- and Mg-silicate precipitation was observed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at the surface range of the borosilicate glasses because of the synthetic porewater treatment.