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Encapsulation of cesium with a solid waste-derived sulfoaluminate matrix: A circular economy approach of treating nuclear wastes with solid wastes

Li, J; Xu, D; Wang, X; Liu, K; Mao, Y; Wang, M; Bai, Y; (2021) Encapsulation of cesium with a solid waste-derived sulfoaluminate matrix: A circular economy approach of treating nuclear wastes with solid wastes. Journal of Hazardous Materials , 416 , Article 126156. 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126156. Green open access

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Abstract

It is of great importance to safely dispose nuclear wastes with the development of nuclear industries. Past approaches to this problem have included immobilizing radioactive cesium in Portland cement-based matrices; however, the leaching rates of cesium are relatively high, especially as the leaching temperature increases. This paper explores a high-efficiency and cost-effective approach for encapsulating cesium using a sulfoaluminate cement (SAC) matrix, which was prepared via synergetic use of industrial solid wastes. Leaching results showed that, the apparent diffusion coefficient values of cesium were only ~1.4 × 10−15 cm2/s and ~5 × 10−18 cm2/s at 25 ℃ and 90 ℃ leaching conditions, respectively. These values were several orders of magnitude lower when compared with previously reported values, indicating the excellent encapsulation performance of the solid-waste-based SAC for cesium. Moreover, the heavy metals contained in the industrial solid waste were also effectively immobilized. A mechanistic analysis revealed that cesium was encapsulated in the SAC matrices stably by a physical effect. Finally, a life cycle assessment and economic analysis indicated that this approach was environmental-friendly, cost-effective, and energy-saving. This work provides a promising strategy for effective encapsulation of cesium and synergetic treatment of industrial solid wastes.

Type: Article
Title: Encapsulation of cesium with a solid waste-derived sulfoaluminate matrix: A circular economy approach of treating nuclear wastes with solid wastes
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126156
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126156
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Civil, Environ and Geomatic Eng
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10130591
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