Aluminoborosilicate waste glass dissolution under alkaline conditions at 40°C: Implications for a chemical affinity-based rate equation

E. M. Pierce, E. L. Richards, A. M. Davis, L. R. Reed, E. A. Rodriguez

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Single-pass flow-through experiments were conducted with aluminoborosilicate waste glasses to evaluate how changes in solution composition affect the dissolution rate (r) at 40°C and pH (23°C) ≤ 9.0. The three prototypic low-activity waste (LAW) glasses, LAWE-1A, -95A and -290A, used in these experiments span a wide range covering the expected processing composition of candidate immobilised low-activity waste (ILAW) glasses. Results suggest incongruent release of Al, B, Na, and Si at low flow-rate (q) to sample surface area (S), in units of (m s?1), (log10(q/S) < ?8.9) whereas congruent release is observed at high q/S (log10(q/S) > ?7.9). Dissolution rates increase from log 10(q/S) ? ?9.3 to ?8.0 and then become constant at log 10(q/S) > ?7.9. Forward (maximum) dissolution rates, based on B release, are the same irrespective of glass composition, evident by the dissolution rates being within the experimental error of one another (r 1A ≤ 0.0301 ± 0.0153 g m?2 day?1, r95A ≤ 0.0248 ± 0.0125 g m?2 day?1, and r290A ≤ 0.0389 ± 0.0197 g m?2 day ?1). The results also illustrate that as the activity of SiO 2(aq) increases, the rate of glass dissolution decreases to a residual rate. The pseudo-equilibrium constant, Kg, (log 10(Kg) ≤ ?3.7) predicted with these results is slightly lower than the K for chalcedony (log10(K) ≤ ?3.48) at 40°C. Finally, these results support the use of a chemical affinity-based rate law to describe glass dissolution as a function of solution composition.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)73-85
Number of pages13
JournalEnvironmental Chemistry
Volume5
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2008
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Boron coordination
  • Forward rate
  • Free energy of hydration
  • Low-activity waste glass
  • Transition State Theory

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