Leaching behaviour of Cs, Sr, and Eu nitrates from Fe-rich polymers: Influence of precursor composition, presence of CeO2 nanoparticles, and the effect of high-dose gamma irradiation

IF 3.2 2区工程技术 Q3 MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Journal of Nuclear Materials Pub Date : 2025-10-09 DOI:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.156214

E.D. Mooren , A. Cambriani , S. Van Winckel , R. Alvarez- Sarandes , W. Bonani , L. Fongaro , G. Beersaerts , V. Tyrpekl , T. Cernousek , S. Schreurs , W. Schroeyers

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Abstract

The long half-lives and potential impact of environmental contamination of radionuclides in liquid nuclear waste make radioactive waste management a major concern for society and the nuclear industry. One prospective solution for efficiently immobilising liquid nuclear waste is the use of Alkali-Activated Materials (AAMs). The immobilisation ability of AAMs largely depends on their composition and the effect of the introduced radionuclides on the structure itself. The purpose of this work is to investigate the leaching behaviour of radioactive simulants such as strontium (Sr), caesium (Cs), and europium (Eu) nitrates from iron-rich slag-derived AAM samples, explore the impact of CeO₂ nanoparticles` presence, as well as the effects of gamma irradiation on the structure and leachability of the contaminants. CeO₂ nanoparticles are investigated for preconcentrating radionuclides from liquid nuclear waste and have been previously used in isolating and adsorbing Eu³⁺. Samples received a cumulative dose of 6.51 MGy of radiation from a cobalt-60 (⁶⁰Co) source. Potential changes in mechanical characteristics and microstructure were investigated by SEM analysis and nanoindentation. The leaching tests revealed significant variability in the release of elements such as Fe, Na, Al, Cs, Sr, Eu, and Ce across different samples, influenced by the slag composition and the presence of CeO₂ nanoparticles. No appreciable variations were observed in the simulated radionuclides or structural element releases from the irradiated and non-irradiated samples. Irradiation did not affect the materials' hardness and had a limited effect on elastic modulus (E). From this perspective, the produced AAMs are suitable candidates for nuclear waste immobilisation.

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富铁聚合物中Cs、Sr和Eu硝酸盐的浸出行为：前驱体组成的影响、CeO2纳米颗粒的存在以及高剂量γ辐射的影响

液体核废料中放射性核素的长半衰期和环境污染的潜在影响使放射性废料管理成为社会和核工业关注的主要问题。碱活化材料（AAMs）是有效固定液态核废料的一个有前景的解决方案。aam的固定能力在很大程度上取决于它们的组成和引入的放射性核素对结构本身的影响。这项工作的目的是研究富铁渣衍生AAM样品中放射性模拟物（如锶（Sr）、铯（Cs）和硝酸铕（Eu））的浸出行为，探索CeO2纳米颗粒存在的影响，以及伽马辐射对污染物结构和可浸性的影响。研究了CeO2纳米颗粒对液态核废料中放射性核素的预浓缩作用，并已将其用于分离和吸附Eu3+。样品接受钴-60 （60Co）源的累积剂量为6.51 MGy。通过扫描电镜分析和纳米压痕研究了材料的力学特性和微观结构的潜在变化。浸出试验显示，不同样品中Fe、Na、Al、Cs、Sr、Eu和Ce等元素的释放存在显著差异，受矿渣组成和CeO₂纳米颗粒存在的影响。在辐照和未辐照样品的模拟放射性核素或结构元素释放中未观察到明显的变化。辐照对材料的硬度没有影响，对材料弹性模量(E)的影响有限。从这个角度来看，生产的aam是核废料固定化的合适候选者。

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来源期刊

Journal of Nuclear Materials 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

5.70

自引率

25.80%

发文量

601

审稿时长

63 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Nuclear Materials publishes high quality papers in materials research for nuclear applications, primarily fission reactors, fusion reactors, and similar environments including radiation areas of charged particle accelerators. Both original research and critical review papers covering experimental, theoretical, and computational aspects of either fundamental or applied nature are welcome. The breadth of the field is such that a wide range of processes and properties in the field of materials science and engineering is of interest to the readership, spanning atom-scale processes, microstructures, thermodynamics, mechanical properties, physical properties, and corrosion, for example. Topics covered by JNM Fission reactor materials, including fuels, cladding, core structures, pressure vessels, coolant interactions with materials, moderator and control components, fission product behavior. Materials aspects of the entire fuel cycle. Materials aspects of the actinides and their compounds. Performance of nuclear waste materials; materials aspects of the immobilization of wastes. Fusion reactor materials, including first walls, blankets, insulators and magnets. Neutron and charged particle radiation effects in materials, including defects, transmutations, microstructures, phase changes and macroscopic properties. Interaction of plasmas, ion beams, electron beams and electromagnetic radiation with materials relevant to nuclear systems.