Current Events — HabitableZone

Current Events » in reply to No hard work involved at all

Vitrification
ER — (archived)

I didn't know glass had a lattice structure either, I always thought it was a non-flowing liquid (an amorphous non-crystalline) form of silica (SiO2). The nuclear waste is in solution in it in the form of individual molecules containing atoms of radioactive materials. Perhaps when each one eventually emits radiation it causes damage to the chemical bonds binding Silicon and Oxygen together, causing the glass to become brittle as these disintegrations accumulate over time. But I'm only speculating, I don't know enough chemistry to answer that.

However, if glass breaks down over time in these conditions, it is not good news for waste storage. Glass is a non-soluble, non-corroding material supposedly ideal for long-term encasing of nuke waste. If it crumbles after just a few years of heavy radiation, that is really going to be a severe blow to the industry that was counting on it as a storage medium suitable for burial.

Log in or register to post.

The whole thread (35 posts)