Original Articles: 2016 Vol: 8 Issue: 4
Beta rays affect on verification the nuclear waste in glass and glass-ceramics
Abstract
Nuclear waste in Iraq has three major sources; spent nuclear fuel from the old Iraqi Atomic Energy Organization in Al-Twitha site, waste from radioactive isotopes used in medicine and waste generated by the nuclear weapons used in the war against Iraq in 2003. These waste need to storage until becomes safety. Therefore in this study nuclear wastes (strontium oxides) were stored by vitrification methods in two typesof borosilicate glass (glass and glassceramics) and the effect of beta ray on the immobilized waste was done. Then the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of borosilicate glass contain strontium oxide before and after irradiated by beta ray were investigated. It found that the physical properties and the leaching was not affected by beta-ray, while the values of surface strength and microhardness of glass increased with increasing radiation doses and their values have remained constant for the glass-ceramics.