Influence of lithium and boron ions on calcium sulfo-aluminate cement hydration: application for the conditioning of boron ion exchange resins

In pressurized water reactors, a solution of boric acid, the pH of which is controlled by the addition of lithium hydroxide, is injected in the primary circuit. Boron acts as a neutron moderator and helps controlling the fission reactions. The primary coolant is purified by flowing through columns of ion exchange resins. These resins are periodically renewed and constitute a low-level radioactive waste. In addition to radionuclides, they mainly contain borate and lithium ions. They are currently encapsulated in an organic matrix before being stored in a near-surface repository. An evolution of the process is considered, involving the replacement of the organic matrix by a mineral one. In this PhD study, the potential of calcium sulfo-aluminate cements (CSAC) to solidify/stabilize borated resins in the presence of lithium is investigated. These binders have the advantage to form hydrates which can incorporate borate ions in their structure, and their hydration is less retarded than that of Portland cement.An analytical approach is adopted, based on a progressive increase in the complexity of the investigated systems. Hydration of ye-elimite-rich CSAC is thus successively investigated in the presence of (i) lithium salts, (ii) lithium hydroxide and sodium borate, and (iii) lithium hydroxide and borated ion exchange resins. The experimental investigation is supplemented by thermodynamic modelling using a database specially developed for the needs of the study. Lithium ions are shown to accelerate CSAC hydration by decreasing the duration of the period of low thermal activity. The postulated mechanism involves the precipitation of lithium-containing aluminum hydroxide. On the contrary, sodium borate retards CSAC hydration by increasing the duration of the period of low thermal activity. Ulexite, a poorly crystallized mineral containing sodium and borates, transiently precipitates at early age. As long as ulexite is present, dissolution of ye-elimite is strongly slowed down. When sodium borate and lithium hydroxide are simultaneously introduced in the mixing solution, these two mechanisms are superimposed. With a gypsum-free cement, a third process is additionally observed: lithium promotes the initial precipitation of a borated AFm phase which is later converted into a borated AFt phase when hydration accelerates.Finally, based on the achieved results, a cement-based formulation is designed for the encapsulation of borated resins. Its properties fulfill the requirements for a conditioning matrix over the duration of the study. (author)