Immobilization of tritium-containing oil wastes by their incorporation in a cement matrix

Tritium leaching from cement-based composites incorporating spent tritium-containing oil sorbed on zeolites, active alumina, or activated carbon was studied. Activated carbon is a preferable sorbent compared to the other examined materials, and with this sorbent the rate and degree of tritium leaching were the lowest. The leaching is due to diffusion mobility of water in the cement matrix. The tritium diffusion coefficient in the system is D = (4.7 ± 0.3) × 10−11 m2 s−1.