Open AccessPolyoxometalates for radioactive waste treatment. 1998 annual progress report
Author(s) -
Michael T. Pope
Publication year - 1998
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/13726
Subject(s) - actinide , tungsten , vitrification , nuclear transmutation , spent nuclear fuel , radioactive waste , radiochemistry , curium , high level waste , nuclear chemistry , chemistry , materials science , waste management , metallurgy , nuclear physics , americium , engineering , physics , neutron
'This research is directed towards the use of polyoxoanions of the early transition metals (primarily tungsten) as possible sequestrants and storage matrices for lanthanide, actinide, and technetium species. The latter substances are important radioactive components of tank wastes from spent commercial nuclear fuel, but are present in low proportion by mass. Technetium is a particularly troublesome component because it is highly mobile in groundwater and is volatilized in vitrification processes currently under examination for long-term storage. Scientific goals: synthesis and characterization of new and selective polyoxotungstate complexes of Ln{sup 3+}, An{sup 4+}, UO{sub 2}{sup 2+}; exploration of stable polyoxoanions containing Tc (using, in the first instance, Re as a nonradioactive surrogate); thermal conversion of polytungstate complexes to tungsten bronze materials for their evaluation as inert storage matrices. This report summarizes the results after 20 months of a 3-year project.