Gibb, F.G.F., Taylor, K.J. and Burakov, B.E. (2008) The 'granite encapsulation' route to the safe disposal of Pu and other actinide. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 374 (3). pp. 364-369. ISSN 0022-3115
Abstract
Waste actinides, including plutonium, present a long-term management problem and a serious security issue. Immobilisation in mineral or ceramic waste forms for interim storage is a widely proposed first step. The safest, most secure geological disposal for Pu is in very deep boreholes and we propose that the key step to combination of these immobilisation and disposal concepts is encapsulation of the waste form in cylinders of recrystallized granite. We discuss the underpinning science, focusing on experimental work, and consider implementation. Finally, we present and discuss analyses of zircon, UO2 and Ce-doped cubic zirconia from high pressure and temperature experiments in granitic melts that demonstrate the viability of this solution and that actinides can be isolated from the environment for millions, maybe hundreds of millions, of years.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2008 Elsevier B.V. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Journal of Nuclear Materials. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Sherpa Assistant |
Date Deposited: | 25 Apr 2008 10:29 |
Last Modified: | 08 Feb 2013 16:56 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2007.08.018 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier Science BV |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2007.08.018 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:3759 |