Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Leachability of lead, cadmium, and antimony in cement solidified waste in a silo-type radioactive waste disposal facility environment

  • Yulim Lee (Department of Nuclear Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) ;
  • Hyeongjin Byeon (Department of Nuclear Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) ;
  • Jaeyeong Park (Department of Nuclear Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology)
  • Received : 2023.01.17
  • Accepted : 2023.05.08
  • Published : 2023.08.25
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Abstract

The waste acceptance criteria for heavy metals in mixed waste should be developed by reflecting the leaching behaviors that could highly depend on the repository design and environment surrounding the waste. The current standards widely used to evaluate the leaching characteristics of heavy metals would not be appropriate for the silo-type repository since they are developed for landfills, which are more common than a silo-type repository. This research aimed to explore the leaching behaviors of cementitious waste with Pb, Cd, and Sb metallic and oxide powders in an environment simulating a silo-type radioactive waste repository. The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) and the ANS 16.1 standard were employed with standard and two modified solutions: concrete-saturated deionized and underground water. The compositions and elemental distribution of leachates and specimens were analyzed using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS). Lead and antimony demonstrated high leaching levels in the modified leaching solutions, while cadmium exhibited minimal leaching behavior and remained mainly within the cement matrix. The results emphasize the significance of understanding heavy metals' leaching behavior in the repository's geochemical environment, which could accelerate or mitigate the reaction.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Nuclear Safety Research Program through the Korea Foundation of Nuclear Safety (KoFONS), granted financial resources from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), Republic of Korea (No. 2003016) and KOREA HYDRO & NUCLEAR POWER CO., LTD (No. 2020-Tech-13).

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