Aerosol processing of glass for radioactive salt waste immobilization

Abstract An SiO2-Al2O3-P2O5 (SAP) glass system was investigated to vitrify radioactive salt waste generated during pyroprocessing. The low compatibility between alumino-silicate glass and alumino-phosphate glass has limited SAP production to a conventional sol-gel process. However, this process is associated with a limited batch size and requires a minimum processing time of 5 days. This study investigated the development of an aerosol processor for the continuous production of SAP, with the potential of scaling-up for mass production. Glass form aerosol-processed SAP was successfully produced using the aerosol processor, and no additives were required to promote vitrification or prevent crystallization. Thus, pure SAP was produced using a precursor with a Si:Al:P ratio of glass system 1:1:2 (2SiO2-Al2O3-2P2O5).