Work

Development of magnesium-silicate-hydrate mortars using magnesium hydroxide for Magnox waste encapsulation

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: A novel approach to reduce the volume of the UK legacy Magnox waste is to use the Mg(OH) 2 -rich sludge as a component in a magnesium-silicate-hydrate (M-S-H) mortar. This study looks at the potential to incorporate a simulant corroded magnesium sludge (CMgS) into a mortar that achieves the encapsulation criterion. The optimum M-S-H mortar has a binder molar ratio of 0.5, resulting in 46.6 wt% of the mortar being CMgS sludge. This mortar had compressive strengths of 25 MPa at 60 days with a connected porosity of 6.5 % at 6 months, and this meets the requirements for a waste encapsulated grout. The work demonstrates the potential to use a Mg(OH) 2 -rich sludge, obtained from Magnox Swarf Storage Silos as a raw material in M-S-H mortars in waste encapsulation, with associated cost and space savings.

Source: Journal of Nuclear Materials

DOI: 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155767

Authors: M. Baxter Chinery, H.S. Wong, M.R. Wenman, C.R. Cheeseman, L.J. Vandeperre

Institution: Imperial College London

Language: English

Topic: Magnesium Oxide Properties and Applications

Subfield: Materials Chemistry

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,640