Development and evaluation of low-pH concrete plugs suitable for high-level radioactive waste repositories
In this study, low-pH concrete mixtures suitable for use as plugs in high-level radioactive waste disposal sites were evaluated by designing thirteen mixtures with various ratios of binders, including silica fume, fly ash, and blast furnace slag, and fillers, such as limestone and quartz. Three mixt...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Case Studies in Construction Materials |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525000105 |
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| author | Seokgu Gang Daewon Lee Jin-Seop Kim Youngjin Shin Jongwon Jung |
| author_facet | Seokgu Gang Daewon Lee Jin-Seop Kim Youngjin Shin Jongwon Jung |
| author_sort | Seokgu Gang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this study, low-pH concrete mixtures suitable for use as plugs in high-level radioactive waste disposal sites were evaluated by designing thirteen mixtures with various ratios of binders, including silica fume, fly ash, and blast furnace slag, and fillers, such as limestone and quartz. Three mixture designs that satisfied both the compressive strength requirement (>50 MPa) and leachate pH criterion (<11) after 28 d of curing were selected for further investigation. Their compressive and split tensile strengths, chloride-ion diffusion coefficient, and leachate pH were experimentally evaluated. The use of fly ash and silica fume as binders resulted in higher early compressive strengths. No mixture design exhibited significant long-term strength degradation after curing at 40 °C. The split tensile strength values were lower than those reported in previous studies, which is attributed to the suboptimal pore size distribution of the fine aggregates used in this study. The use of both limestone and quartz (SiO2) as fillers resulted in the lowest chloride-ion diffusion coefficient, with all mixture designs exhibiting excellent resistance to chloride-ion diffusion. The leachate pH remained < 11 throughout 63 d of curing. Additionally, the compressive strength increased with an increasing leachate pH. The leachate pH was influenced by the surface area characteristics of silica fume, contrary to that previously reported. An increasing pH resulted in a higher silica content in the leachate solution, affecting the swelling characteristics of the bentonite used as backfill. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3c8234b4e27049c6b9483305d283ebd3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2214-5095 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Studies in Construction Materials |
| spelling | doaj-art-3c8234b4e27049c6b9483305d283ebd32025-01-07T04:17:26ZengElsevierCase Studies in Construction Materials2214-50952025-07-0122e04211Development and evaluation of low-pH concrete plugs suitable for high-level radioactive waste repositoriesSeokgu Gang0Daewon Lee1Jin-Seop Kim2Youngjin Shin3Jongwon Jung4School of Civil Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do 28644, Republic of KoreaSchool of Civil Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do 28644, Republic of KoreaResearch Center for Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage and Disposal, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon 34057, Republic of KoreaInfrastructure Research Team, Hyundai Engineering & Construction CO., Ltd, Seoul 03058, Republic of KoreaSchool of Civil Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do 28644, Republic of Korea; Corresponding author.In this study, low-pH concrete mixtures suitable for use as plugs in high-level radioactive waste disposal sites were evaluated by designing thirteen mixtures with various ratios of binders, including silica fume, fly ash, and blast furnace slag, and fillers, such as limestone and quartz. Three mixture designs that satisfied both the compressive strength requirement (>50 MPa) and leachate pH criterion (<11) after 28 d of curing were selected for further investigation. Their compressive and split tensile strengths, chloride-ion diffusion coefficient, and leachate pH were experimentally evaluated. The use of fly ash and silica fume as binders resulted in higher early compressive strengths. No mixture design exhibited significant long-term strength degradation after curing at 40 °C. The split tensile strength values were lower than those reported in previous studies, which is attributed to the suboptimal pore size distribution of the fine aggregates used in this study. The use of both limestone and quartz (SiO2) as fillers resulted in the lowest chloride-ion diffusion coefficient, with all mixture designs exhibiting excellent resistance to chloride-ion diffusion. The leachate pH remained < 11 throughout 63 d of curing. Additionally, the compressive strength increased with an increasing leachate pH. The leachate pH was influenced by the surface area characteristics of silica fume, contrary to that previously reported. An increasing pH resulted in a higher silica content in the leachate solution, affecting the swelling characteristics of the bentonite used as backfill.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525000105Spent nuclear fuelRepositoryPlugLow-pH concreteHigh-strength concrete |
| spellingShingle | Seokgu Gang Daewon Lee Jin-Seop Kim Youngjin Shin Jongwon Jung Development and evaluation of low-pH concrete plugs suitable for high-level radioactive waste repositories Case Studies in Construction Materials Spent nuclear fuel Repository Plug Low-pH concrete High-strength concrete |
| title | Development and evaluation of low-pH concrete plugs suitable for high-level radioactive waste repositories |
| title_full | Development and evaluation of low-pH concrete plugs suitable for high-level radioactive waste repositories |
| title_fullStr | Development and evaluation of low-pH concrete plugs suitable for high-level radioactive waste repositories |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development and evaluation of low-pH concrete plugs suitable for high-level radioactive waste repositories |
| title_short | Development and evaluation of low-pH concrete plugs suitable for high-level radioactive waste repositories |
| title_sort | development and evaluation of low ph concrete plugs suitable for high level radioactive waste repositories |
| topic | Spent nuclear fuel Repository Plug Low-pH concrete High-strength concrete |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525000105 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT seokgugang developmentandevaluationoflowphconcreteplugssuitableforhighlevelradioactivewasterepositories AT daewonlee developmentandevaluationoflowphconcreteplugssuitableforhighlevelradioactivewasterepositories AT jinseopkim developmentandevaluationoflowphconcreteplugssuitableforhighlevelradioactivewasterepositories AT youngjinshin developmentandevaluationoflowphconcreteplugssuitableforhighlevelradioactivewasterepositories AT jongwonjung developmentandevaluationoflowphconcreteplugssuitableforhighlevelradioactivewasterepositories |