Determination of the forward rate of dissolution for SON68 and PAMELA glasses in contact with alkaline solutions

In the new Belgian disposal design, the nuclear waste glass will be surrounded by a 3 cm thick carbon steel overpack and a 70 cm thick concrete buffer. An initially high pH is expected after water intrusion in the concrete buffer and this may have an effect on the radionuclide release from the waste glass. This study was performed in order to determine the forward rate of dissolution for SON68 and PAMELA glasses (SM513 LW11 and SM539 HE 540-12), conducting dynamic tests at 30°C in contact with alkaline solutions. In these experiments, the silicon concentration in solution was determined by UV/Visible spectrophotometry according to the blue β-silicomolybdenum method. The forward rates of dissolution were quite similar for the three glasses except at the highest pH for which a slightly higher value was found for SM539 glass. For SON68 glass, a good agreement with the previously established interpolation law was observed until pH 11.5, but at higher pH, the interpolation law slightly overestimates the dissolution rate.