Magnesium potassium phosphate cement: a promising binder for the conditioning of aluminum-magnesium alloys waste
Résumé
The reprocessing of spent fuel designed for natural uranium – graphite – gas reactors has produced some
waste with aluminum alloys, which need to be stabilized and solidified before their final disposal. Portland
cement is extensively used for the conditioning of low-level and intermediate-level radioactive waste;
however, its high alkalinity is a serious obstacle to aluminum stabilization, as it is oxidized by the mixing
solution, with production of dihydrogen. This work investigates a new solution consisting in using
magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC) instead of Portland cement (PC). Gas chromatography
and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) are used to monitor the corrosion of pure aluminum and aluminum-magnesium alloys containing 2 to 4.5 wt.% of Mg in MKPC mortar. EIS provides qualitative
information about the corrosion, but also makes it possible to assess the corrosion current using an
equivalent electrical circuit linked to the kinetic parameters of the postulated corrosion mechanism. It is
shown that the corrosion current of the alloys, regardless of their composition, is reduced by about two
orders of magnitude in MKPC mortar as compared to Portland cement mortar. This result opens up new
prospects for increasing the incorporation rate of reactive Al metal in a cementitious matrix.
Domaines
MatériauxOrigine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
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