Low melting high lithia glass compositions and methods
First Claim
1. An alkali oxide-lime-silica glass suitable for immobilizing radioactive, hazardous, or mixed waste, consisting essentially of:
- (a) SiO2 in an amount ranging from about 46 wt % to about 66 wt %;
(b) CaO in an amount ranging from about 5 wt % to about 28 wt %;
(c) Na2O in an amount ranging from about 1.9 wt % to about 25 wt %;
(d) Li2O in an amount ranging from about 3 wt % to about 11 wt %; and
(e) a uranium oxide selected from the group consisting of U3O8 in the range from about 0.5 wt % to about 12 wt % and UO2 in an amount ranging from about 0.4 wt % to about 12 wt %.
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Abstract
The invention relates to methods of vitrifying waste and for lowering the melting point of glass forming systems by including lithia formers in the glass forming composition in significant amounts, typically from about 0.16 wt % to about 11 wt %, based on the total glass forming oxides. The lithia is typically included as a replacement for alkali oxide glass formers that would normally be present in a particular glass forming system. Replacement can occur on a mole percent or weight percent basis, and typically results in a composition wherein lithia forms about 10 wt % to about 100 wt % of the alkali oxide glass formers present in the composition. The present invention also relates to the high lithia glass compositions formed by these methods. The invention is useful for stabilization of numerous types of waste materials, including aqueous waste uranium oxides The decrease in melting point achieved by the present invention desirably prevents volatilization of hazardous or radioactive species during vitrification.
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Citations
4 Claims
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1. An alkali oxide-lime-silica glass suitable for immobilizing radioactive, hazardous, or mixed waste, consisting essentially of:
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(a) SiO2 in an amount ranging from about 46 wt % to about 66 wt %;
(b) CaO in an amount ranging from about 5 wt % to about 28 wt %;
(c) Na2O in an amount ranging from about 1.9 wt % to about 25 wt %;
(d) Li2O in an amount ranging from about 3 wt % to about 11 wt %; and
(e) a uranium oxide selected from the group consisting of U3O8 in the range from about 0.5 wt % to about 12 wt % and UO2 in an amount ranging from about 0.4 wt % to about 12 wt %. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
(f) Al2O3 in an amount ranging from about 2.5 wt % to about 18 wt %.
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3. The alkali oxide-lime-silica glass composition according to claim 1, further including:
(f) Fe2O3 in an amount ranging from about 0.9 wt % to about 13 wt %.
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4. The alkali oxide-lime-silica glass composition according to claim 1, further including:
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(f) K2O in an amount ranging from about 0 wt % to about 1.8 wt %; and
(g) P2O5 in an amount ranging from about 0 wt % to about 4.5 wt %.
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Specification