Cemented Solidified Biomass Waste Form Under Drastic Climatic Conditions

Immobilizing radioactive waste generated during different nuclear applications is a matter of great importance for safe disposal. Waste forms buried in a shallow burial disposal facility as low level and intermediate level radioactive wastes could be solidified by cement or other inert material that characterized by adequate strength against drastic climatic changes. In this study, a biomass generated from bioaccumulation of aquatic plants containing hazardous radioactive nuclides were dried, grinded, stabilized by cement that cured for 28 days then subjected to qualification during different aggressive conditions. The produced solidified waste form was followed by detecting mechanical strength and porosity measurements as well as spectroscopic analysis using infrared and X-ray. Fractured waste form sample was investigated using scanning electron microscope to examine the effect of different undesirable climatic events during extending disposal durations. It was found that the cement solidification of the aquatic plants generated from the phytoremediation of radioactive simulate is an essential step before disposal. The obtained cemented waste forms have adequate resistance under extreme climatic conditions