Lead-iron phosphate glass: a stable storage medium for high-level nuclear waste

Results are presented which show that lead-iron phosphate glasses are a promising new waste form for the safe immobilization of both high-level defense and high-level commercial radioactive waste. Relative to the borosilicate nuclear waste glasses that are currently the ''reference'' waste form for the long-term disposal of nuclear waste, lead-iron phosphate glasses have several distinct advantages: (1) an aqueous corrosion rate that is about 1000 times lower, (2) a processing temperature that is 1000 to 2500C lower and, (3) a much lower melt viscosity in the temperature range from 8000 to 10000C. Most significantly, the lead-iron phosphate waste form can be processed using a technology similar to that developed for borosilicate nuclear waste glasses