The Effects of Surface Area to Solution Volume on Waste Glass Leaching

Silicon solubility limitations appear to control the rate of corrosion of a complex simulated nuclear waste glass at relatively high values of the glass surface area to solution volume ratio (SA/V). Undersaturated glass components such as sodium and boron were affected by SA/V in a manner similar to silicon. Under relatively low SA/V conditions, glass corrosion was unaffected by changes in the SA/V ratio. Congruent dissolution was never observed, in contrast to previous results for simple and certain complex silicate glasses. Increases in the SA/V value may be a viable method for performing accelerated leach resistance testing of nuclear waste forms.