Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-4rdrl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-14T20:47:19.610Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Obsidians and Tektites: Natural Analogues for Water Diffusion in Nuclear Waste Glasses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

James J. Mazer ,
John K. Bates ,
Christopher M. Stevenson  and
C. R. Bradley
James J. Mazer
Affiliation:
Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439
John K. Bates
Affiliation:
Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439
Christopher M. Stevenson
Affiliation:
Archaeological Services Consultants, P. O. Box 02095, Columbus, OH 42302
C. R. Bradley
Affiliation:
Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439
Get access

Abstract

Molecular water diffusion in natural obsidians and tektite was investigated in vapor hydration tests performed between 75 and 230°C for up to 400 days. Reaction progress was monitored using measurements of the birefringent hydration layer, an alteration feature associated with strain caused by molecular water diffusion in obsidians. The hydration rate constants and temperature dependence of the reaction are strongly correlated with the logarithm of the initial total water content of the glass. These values have been quantified for conditions relevant to the potential Yucca Mountain repository. The low initial total water concentrations of Savannah River Lab nuclear waste glasses produced at the bench-top scale help to minimze the effects of molecular water diffusion in waste glasses. The results of this study indicate that molecular water diffusion does not dominate waste glass reactions under conditions considered in this study. However, it is unknown whether molecular water diffusion will be important under other reaction conditions, especially longer time periods.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 257: Symposium – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XV , 1991 , 513
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Friedman, I. and Long, W. D., “Hydration Rate of Obsidian,” Science 191, 347–352 (1976).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2. Lee, R. R., Leich, D. A., Tombrello, T. A., Ericson, J. E., and Friedman, I., “Obsidian Hydration Profile Measurements Using a Nuclear Reaction Technique,” Nature 250, 44–47 (1974).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3. Mazer, J. J., unpublished information (1991).Google Scholar
4. Yang, W. H. and Kirkpatrick, R. J., “Hydrothermal Reaction of Rhyolitic-Composition Glass: A Solid State NMR Study,” Amer. Mineral. 75, 1009–1019 (1990).Google Scholar
5. Lanford, W. A., Burman, C., Doremus, R. H., Mehrotra, Y., and Wassick, T., “Nuclear Reaction Analysis of Glass Surfaces: The Study of the Reaction between Water and Glass,” in Advances in Mater. Char., p. 549 (1983).Google Scholar
6. White, A. F. and Claassen, H. C., “Kinetic Model for the Dissolution of a Rhyolitic Glass,” Chem. Geol. 28, 91–109 (1980).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7. Stevenson, C. M., Freeborn, W., and Scheetz, B. E., “Obsidian Hydration Dating: An Improved Optical Technique for Measuring the Width of the Hydration Rim,” Archaeometry 29, 120–123 (1987).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. Stevenson, C. M., Carpenter, J., and Scheetz, B. E., “Obsidian Dating: Recent Advances in the Experimental Determination and Application of Hydration Rates,” Archaeometry 31, 193–206 (1989).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9. Michels, J. W., Tsong, I. S. T., and Smith, G. A., “Experimentally Derived Hydration Rates in Obsidian Dating,” Archaeometry 25, 107–117 (1983).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10. Stevenson, C. M., Dinsmore, D., and Scheetz, B. E., “An Inter-Laboratory Comparison of Hydration Rim Measurements,” Internat. Assoc. for Obsidian Sutdies Newsletter, Vol. 1, 7–14 (1989).Google Scholar
11. O'Keefe, J., “Nature Glass,” J. Non-Cryst. Sol. 67Z, 1–17 (1984).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12. LaMarche, P. H., Rauch, F., and Lanford, W. A., “Reaction between Water and Tektite Glass,” J. Non-Cryst. Sol. 6Z, 361–369 (1984).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13. Barkatt, A. A., Boulos, M. S., Barkatt, A., Sousanpour, W., Boroomand, M. A., Macedo, P. B., and O'Keefe, J. A., “The Chemical Durability of Tektites A Laboratory Study and Correlation with Long-Term Corrosion Behavior,” Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 48, 361–371 (1984).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14. Sigurdsson, H., D'Hondt, S., Arthur, M. A., Bralower, T. J., Zachos, J. C., Fossen, M. Van, and Channel, J. E. T., “Glass from the Cretaceous/Tertiary Boundary in Haiti,” Nature 349, 482–487 (1991).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15. Montanari, A., Hay, R. L., Alvarez, W.. Asaro, F., Michel, H. V., Alvarez, L. W., and Smit, J., “Spheroids at the K-T Boundary are Altered Impact Droplets of Basaltic Composition,” Geology L 668–671 (1983).Google Scholar
16. Marshall, R. R., “Devitrification of natural glass,” Geol. Soc. of Amer. Z2, 1493–1520 (1961).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17. Friedman, I. and Obradovich, J., “Obsidian Hydration Dating of Volcanic Events,” Quatern. Res. J1(1), 37–41 (1981).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18. Bates, J. K., Argonne National Laboratory, personal communication (1991).Google Scholar