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Deep Borehole Disposal of Plutonium

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Fergus G.F. Gibb ,
Kathleen J. Taylor  and
Boris E. Burakov
Fergus G.F. Gibb
Affiliation:
Immobilisation Science Laboratory, Department of Engineering Materials, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK
Kathleen J. Taylor
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
Boris E. Burakov
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Applied Mineralogy and Radiochemistry, V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute, St Petersburg 194021, Russia.
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Abstract

Excess plutonium not destined for burning as MOX or in Generation IV reactors is both a long-term waste management problem and a security threat. Immobilisation in mineral and ceramic-based waste forms for interim safe storage and eventual disposal is a widely proposed first step. The safest and most secure form of geological disposal for Pu yet suggested is in very deep boreholes and we propose here that the key to successful combination of these immobilisation and disposal concepts is the encapsulation of the waste form in small cylinders of recrystallized granite. The underlying science is discussed and the results of high pressure and temperature experiments on zircon, depleted UO2 and Ce-doped cubic zirconia enclosed in granitic melts are presented. The outcomes of these experiments demonstrate the viability of the proposed solution and that Pu could be successfully isolated from its environment for many millions of years.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1107: Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXXI , 2008 , 51
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

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