Actinides and radiation effects: Impact on the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle

Mineralogical Magazine

Volumn 75, Issue 4, 2011, Pages 2359-2377

  Ewing, R C ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN   (United States)

Author keywords

actinides; neptunium; nuclear fuel cycle; nuclear waste; nuclear waste forms; plutonium; pyrochlore; transuranium elements

Indexed keywords

DEEP BOREHOLES; ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS; FISSILE MATERIALS; GEOLOGICAL DISPOSALS; GEOTHERMAL GRADIENTS; HALF LIVES; INERT MATRIX FUELS; NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE; NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLES; NUCLEAR MATERIAL; NUCLEAR WASTE; NUCLEAR WASTE FORMS; PYROCHLORES; RADIOTOXICITY; RARE-EARTH PYROCHLORES; SPENT NUCLEAR FUELS; SYSTEMATIC STUDY; THERMAL ENVIRONMENT; WASTE FORMS;

ACTINIDES; AMERICIUM; CURIUM; DESIGN; FUELS; GEOTHERMAL ENERGY; HAFNIUM; NEPTUNIUM; NEUTRON DETECTORS; NUCLEAR FUEL REPROCESSING; NUCLEAR REACTORS; NUCLEAR WEAPONS; PLUTONIUM; RADIATION DAMAGE; RADIOACTIVE WASTES; TIN; TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS; URANIUM; ZIRCONIUM;

RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL;

ACTINIDE; FUEL; GEOTHERMAL GRADIENT; HALF LIFE; IMMOBILIZATION; NEPTUNIUM; PLUTONIUM; PYROCHLORE; RADIOACTIVE WASTE; TOXICITY; WASTE DISPOSAL;

EID: 80053030045     PISSN: 0026461X     EISSN: 14718022     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1180/minmag.2011.075.4.2359     Document Type: Conference Paper

References (84)

1. Albright, D., Berkhout, F. and Walker, W. (1997) Plutonium and Highly Enriched Uranium 1996 World Inventories, Capabilities and Policies. Oxford UniversityPress, New York, 502 pp.
2. Atencio, D., Andrade, M. B., Christy, A. G., Gieré, R. and Kartashov, P. M. (2010) The pyrochlore supergroup of minerals: nomenclature. The Canadian Mineralogist, 48, 673-698.
3. Bourdon, B., Henderson, G. M., Lundstrom, C. C. and Turner, S. P. (editors) (2003) Uranium-Series Geochemistry. Reviews in Mineralogy& Geochemistry, 52. Mineralogical Societyof America, Washington D. C. and the Geochemical Society, St Louis, Missouri, USA, 656 pp.
4. Burns, P. C. (1999) The crystal chemistry of uranium. Pp. 23-90 in: Uranium: Mineralogy, Geochemistry and the Environment (P. C. Burns and R Finch, editors). Reviews in Mineralogy, 38. Mineralogical Societyof America, Washington D. C.
5. 6+ minerals and inorganic compounds: insights into an expanded structural hierarchyof crystal structures. The Canadian Mineralogist, 43, 1839-1894.
6. Burns, P. C. and Finch, R (editors) (1999) Uranium: Mineralogy, Geochemistry and the Environment. Reviews in Mineralogy, 38. Mineralogical Society of America, Washington D. C, 679 pp.
7. 6+ minerals and inorganic phases: a comparison and hierarchyof structures. The Canadian Mineralogist, 34, 845-880.
8. Carter, L. J. and Pigford, T. H. (1999) The world's growing inventoryof civil spent fuel. Arms Control Today, 8, 8-14.
9. 6Y. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 53, 120-129.
10. Chakoumakos, B. C. and Ewing, R. C. (1985) Crystal chemical constraints on the formation of actinide pyrochlores. Materials Research Society Symposia Proceedings, 44, 641-646.
11. 7. Physical Review B, 65, http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/ PhysRevB.65.134116.
12. Donald, I. W., Metcalfe, B. L. and Taylor, RN. J. (1997) The immobilization of high level radioactive wastes using ceramics and glasses. Journal of Materials Science, 32, 5851-5887. (Pubitemid 127504152)
13. Ewing, R. C. (1975) The crystal chemistry of complex niobium and tantalum oxides. IV. The metamict state: discussion. American Mineralogist, 60, 728-730.
14. Ewing, R. C. (1976) Metamict mineral alteration: an implication for radioactive waste disposal. Science, 192, 1336-1337.
15. Ewing, R. C. (1999) Nuclear waste forms for actinides. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 96, 3432-3439. (Pubitemid 29168927)
16. Ewing, R. C. (2001) The design and evaluation of nuclear-waste forms: clues from mineralogy. The Canadian Mineralogist, 39, 697-715. (Pubitemid 32828375)
17. Ewing, R. C. (2004) Environmental impact of the nuclear fuel cycle. Pp. 7-35 in: Energy, Waste, and the Environment: A Geochemical Perspective (R. Giere and P. Stille, editors). Special Publications, 236, Geological Society, London.
18. Ewing, RC (2005) Plutonium and "minor" actinides: safe sequestration. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 229, 165-181. (Pubitemid 40102310)
19. Ewing, RC (2011) Safe management of actinides in the nuclear fuel cycle: role of mineralogy. Comptes Rendus Geoscience, 343, 219-229.
20. Ewing, R. C. and Weber, J. W. (2010) Actinide waste forms and radiation effects. Pp. 3813-3888 in: The Chemistry of the Actinides and Transactinide Elements, vol. 6, (L. R. Morss, N. M. Edelstein and J. Fuger, editors). Springer, New York.
21. Ewing, R. C., Weber, W. J. and Clinard, F. W., Jr. (1995) Radiation effects in nuclear waste forms for highlevel radioactive waste. Progress in Nuclear Energy, 29, 63-127.
22. Ewing, RC., Meldrum, A., Wang, L. M. and Wang, S. X. (2000) Radiation-induced amorphization. Pp. 317-361 in: Transformation Processes in Minerals (S. A. T. Redfern and M. A. Carpenter, editors). Reviews in Mineralogy& Geochemistry, 39. Mineralogical Societyof America, Washington D. C. and the Geochemical Society, St Louis, Missouri, USA.
23. Ewing, RC., Meldrum, A., Wang, L. M., Weber, W. J. and Corrales, L. R. (2003) Radiation effects in zircon. Pp. 387-425 in: Zircon (J. M. Hanchar and P. W. O. Hoskin, editors) Reviews in Mineralogy& Geochemistry, 53. Mineralogical Societyof America, Washington D. C. and the Geochemical Society, St Louis, Missouri, USA.
24. 7): nuclear waste form for the immobilization of plutonium and "minor" actinides. Journal of Applied Physics, 95, 5949-5971.
25. Ewing, R. C., Lian, J. and Wang, L. M. (2004b) Ion beam-induced amorphization of the pyrochlore structure-type: a review. Materials Research Society Symposia Proceedings, 792, 37-48.
26. Ewing, R. C., Runde, W. and Albrecht-Schmitt, T. E. (2010) Environmental impact of the nuclear fuel cycle: fate of actinides. Materials Research Society Bulletin, 35, 859-866.
27. Hedin, A. (1997) Spent nuclear fuel - how dangerous is it? SKB Technical Report 97-13, 60 pp.
28. Helean, K. B., Ushakov, S. V., Brown, C. E., Navrotsky, A., Lian, J., Ewing, R. C., Farmer, J. M. and Boatner, LA. (2004) Formation enthalpies of rare earth titanate pyrochlores. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 177, 1858-1866.
29. Hoffman, D. C., Lawrence, F. O., Mewherter, J. L. and Rourke, F. M. (1971) Detection of plutonium-244 in nature. Nature, 234, 132-134.
30. Hoffmann, R. (1987) An Unusual State of Matter. Pp. 101-102 in: The Metamict State. Universityof Florida Press, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
31. Imaura, A., Touran, N. and Ewing, R. C. (2009) MgO-pyrochlore composite as an inert matrix fuel: neutronic and thermal characteristics. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 389, 341-350.
32. Janeczek, J. (1999) Mineralogyand geochemistryof natural fission reactors in Gabon. Pp. 321-392 in: Uranium: Mineralogy, Geochemistry and the Environment (P. C. Burns and R. Finch, editors). Reviews in Mineralogy, 38. Mineralogical Societyof America, Washington D. C.
33. Jensen, K. A. and Ewing, RC. (2001) The Okélobondo natural fission reactor, southeast Gabon: geology, mineralogyand retardation of nuclear reaction products. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 113, 32-62.
34. Kennedy, B. J., Hunter, BA. and Howard, C. J. (1997) Structural and bonding trends in tin pyrochlore oxides. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 130, 58-65. (Pubitemid 127347235)
35. Kersting A. B., Efurd, D. W., Finnegan, D. L., Rokop, D. J., Smith, D. K., and Thompson, J. L. (1999). Migration of plutonium in groundwater at the Nevada Test Site. Nature, 397, 56-59. (Pubitemid 29038246)
36. 7 (x = 0-1). Journal of Nuclear Materials, 281, 248-250.
37. Laverov, N. P., Yudintsev, S. V., Stefanovsky, S. V., and Jang, Y. N. (2001) New actinide matrix with pyrochlore structure. Doklady Earth Sciences, 381, 1053-1055.
38. Laverov, N. P., Yudintsev, S. V., Stefanovsky, S. V., Jang, Y. N and Ewing, R. C. (2002) Synthesis and examination of new actinide pyrochlores. Materials Research Society Symposia Proceedings, 713, 337-343.
39. Lang, M., Lian, J., Zhang, F. Hendriks, B. W. H., Trautmann, C., Neumann, R. and Ewing R. C. (2008) Fission tracks simulated byswift heavyions at crustal pressures and temperatures. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 274, 355-358.
40. Lang, M., Zhang F., Zhang, J. M., Wang, J. W., Schuster, B., Trautmann, C., Neumann, R., Becker, U. and Ewing, RC. (2009) Nanoscale manipulation of the properties of solids at high pressure with relativistic heavyions. Nature Materials, 8, 793-797.
41. 7 pyrochlore response to irradiation and pressure. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B., 268, 2951-2958.
42. 7 pyrochlore. Physical Review B, 66, http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.66.054108.
43. Lian, J., Chen, J., Wang, L. M., Ewing, RC., Farmer, J. M., Boatner, L. A. and Helean, K. B. (2003) Radiation-induced amorphization of rare-earth titanate pyrochlores. Physical Review B, 68, http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB. 68.134107.
44. 7 pyrochlore: bond-type effect. Journal of Materials Research, 19, 1575-1580.
45. 7 pyrochlore. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B, 218, 236-243.
46. Lumpkin, G. R. (2001) Alpha-decaydamage and aqueous durabilityof actinide host phases in natural systems. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 289, 136-166. (Pubitemid 32875384)
47. Lumpkin, G. R. (2006) Ceramic waste forms for actinides. Elements, 2, 365-372. (Pubitemid 46769166)
48. Lumpkin, G. R., Chakoumakos, B. C. and Ewing, RC (1986) Mineralogyand radiation effects of microlite from the Harding pegmatite, Taos County, New Mexico. American Mineralogist, 71, 569-588.
49. Lumpkin, G. R. and Ewing, R. C. (1988) Alpha-decay damage in minerals of the pyrochlore group. Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, 16, 2-20.
50. Lumpkin, G. R., Smith, K. L., Gieré, R. and Williams, C. T. (2004) The geochemical behaviour of host phases for actinides and fission products in crystalline ceramic nuclear waste forms. Pp. 89-111 in: Energy, Waste, and the Environment: A Geochemical Perspective (R. Gieré and P. Stille, editors). Special Publications, 236, Geological Society, London. (Pubitemid 40055441)
51. Lutze, W. and Ewing, R. C. (editors) (1988) Radioactive Waste Forms for the Future. North-Holland, Amsterdam, 778 pp.
52. Macfarlane, A. (1998) Immobilization of excess weapon plutonium: a better alternative to glass. Science & Global Security, 7, 271-309.
53. Mark, J. C. (1993) Explosive properties of reactor-grade plutonium. Science & Global Security, 4, 111-128.
54. National Research Council (1994) Management and Disposition of Excess Weapons Plutonium. The National AcademyPress, Washington, D. C. 288 pp.
55. Novikov, A. P., Kalymkov, S. N. Utsunomiya, S., Ewing, R. C., Horreard, F., Merkulov, A., Clark, S. B., Tkachev, V. V. and Myasoedov, B. F. (2006) Colloid transport of plutonium in the far-field of the Mayak Production Association, Russia. Science, 314, 638-641. (Pubitemid 44646385)
56. Pabst, A. (1952) The metamict state. American Mineralogist, 37, 137-157.
57. 7 pyrochlore. Physical Review B, 70, http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.70.054110.
58. Primak, W. (1954) The metamict state. Physical Review, 95, 837.
59. 7: a molecular dynamics study. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 12, 2923-2926.
60. Raison, P. E., Haire, RG., Sato, T. and Ogawa, T. (1999) Fundamental and technological aspects of actinide oxide pyrochlores: relevance for immobilization matrices. Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, 556, 3-10. (Pubitemid 30537114)
61. Ringwood, A. E. (1985) Disposal of high-level nuclear wastes: a geological perspective. Mineralogical Magazine, 49, 159-176. (Pubitemid 16098502)
62. Runde, W. (2000) The chemical interactions of actinides in the environment. Challenges in Plutonium Science, volume II. 26, 392-411.
63. Runde, W. and Neu, M. P. (2010) Actinides in the geosphere. Pp. 3475-3593 in: The Chemistry of the Actinide and Transactinide Elements, volume 6 (L. R Morss, N. M. Edelstein and J. Fuger, editors). Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
64. Sickafus, K. E., Minervini, L., Grimes, R. W., Valdez, J. A., Ishimaru, M., Li, F., McClellan, K. J. and Hartmann, T. (2000) Radiation tolerance of complex oxides. Science, 289, 748-751. (Pubitemid 30650188)
65. Silva, R. J. and Nitsche, H. (2002) Environmental chemistry. Pp. 89-117 in: Advances in Plutonium Chemistry 1967-2000 (D. C. Hoffman, editor). American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, Illinois, USA.
66. Subramanian, M. A., Aravamudan, G and Rao, G. V. S. (1983) Oxide pyrochlores - a review. Progress in Solid State Chemistry, 15, 55-143.
67. 7 pyrochlore at high pressure. Acta Materialia, 59, 1607-1618.
68. Wang, L. M. and Ewing, R. C. (1992) Ion-beam-induced amorphization of complex ceramic materials - minerals. Materials Research Society Bulletin, 17, 38-44.
69. Wang, S. X., Begg, B. D., Wang, L. M., Ewing, R. C., Weber, W. J. and Kutty, K. V. G. (1999a) Radiation stabilityof gadolinium zirconate: a waste form for plutonium disposition. Journal of Materials Research, 14, 4470-4473. (Pubitemid 30527678)
70. Wang, S. X., Wang, L. M., Ewing, R. C., Was, GS. and Lumpkin, G. R. (1999b) Ion irradiation-induced phase transformation of pyrochlore and zirconolite. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B, 148, 704-709.
71. Wang, S. X., Wang, L. M. and Ewing, RC (2001) Irradiation-induced amorphization: effects of temperature, ion mass, cascade size, and dose rate. Physical Review B, 63, http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.63.024105.
72. Weber, W. J. (2000) Models and mechanisms of irradiation-induced amorphization in ceramics. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B, 166, 98-106.
73. Weber, W. J., Wald, J. W. and Matzke, Hj. (1985a) Selfradiation damage in actinide host phases for nuclear waste forms. Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, 8, 679-686. (Pubitemid 16500949)
74. 7, Materials Letters, 3, 173-180.
75. 7. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 138, 196-209. (Pubitemid 16565282)
76. Weber, W. J., Ewing, R. C., Angell, C. A., Arnold, G. W., Cormack, A. N., Delaye, J. M., Griscom, D. L., Hobbs, L. W., Navrotsky, A., Price, D. L., Stoneham, A. M. and Weinberg, M. C. (1997) Radiation effects in glasses used for immobilization of high-level waste and plutonium disposition. Journal of Materials Research, 12, 1948-1978.
77. Weber, W. J., Ewing, R. C., Catlow, C. R. A., Diaz de la Rubia, T., Hobbs, L. W., Kinoshita, C., Matzke, Hj., Motta, A. T., Nastasi, M., Salje, E. K. H., Vance, E. R and Zinkle, S. J. (1998) Radiation effects in crystalline ceramics for the immobilization of high-level nuclear waste and plutonium. Journal of Materials Research, 13, 1434-1484. (Pubitemid 128567405)
78. Wigeland, R. A., Bauer, T. H., Fanning, T. H. and Morris E. E. (2006) Separations and transmutation criteria to improve utilization of a geologic repository. Nuclear Technology, 154, 95-106.
79. Williams, RH. and Feiveson, H. A. (1990) How to expand nuclear power without proliferation. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 46, 40-45.
80. 4+ substitutions in gadolinium zirconate. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 299, 140-147. (Pubitemid 32975600)
81. 7 pyrochlore oxides. JOM Journal of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, 52, 19-21.
82. Xiao, H. Y., Zhang, F. X., Gao, F., Lang, M., Ewing, RC. and Weber W. J. (2010) Zirconate pyrochlores under high pressure. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 12, 12472-12477.
83. 244Cm. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 407, 137-142.
84. Ziegler, J. F., Ziegler, M. D. and Biersack, J. P. (2010) SRIM - The stopping and range of ions in matter (2010). Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B, 268, 1818-1823.