Characterisation of concrete, mortar and calcium silicate hydrated phases (CSH) and thorium retention analyses by ion beam techniques.

Abstract

ABSTRACTCement-based materials, like concrete and mortar, are widely used in radioactive waste repositories. A deep characterization of these heterogeneous materials, and of their main phases, is necessary to evaluate their capability of retaining critical radionuclides (RN).In this study, the ion beam technique micro- Particle Induced X- Ray Emission (μPIXE) is used to characterize the concrete and mortar used in the Spanish low level waste repository. Two calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) phases with different Ca/Si ratio are also studied, because they are known to be amongst the most relevant phases, formed upon cement hydration, that retain RN. The retention of thorium on the above mention materials, as relevant tetravalent actinide, is also analyzed. Results are compared with Scanning Electron Microscopy- Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) analyses.