Leaching of fully radioactive high-level waste glass and waste--geologic environment interaction studies

The release rate was determined for 10 radioisotopes from fully radioactive waste glasses in deionized water for a period of 1.75 years. For cesium and strontium, good agreement exists between the leach rates for simulated and fully radioactive glass of the same composition. The release rate mechanism is dependent on time, sampling frequency, and type of element. For this study, only sampling intervals greater than one month had significant impact on the leach rate. Over the long testing period two different release mechanisms occurred. 8 figures, 3 tables