Microwave vitrification of Sr-contaminated soil: microstructure, mechanical properties and chemical durability

The proper disposal of radioactively contaminated soil during the process of nuclear energy application has become the focus of attention. In this work, simulation Sr-contaminated soils could were successfully vitrified by microwave sintering. XRD and FESEM results show that the matrix has excellent glass morphology. The highest Vickers hardness and density values are 8.0 GPa and 3.10 g·cm −3 . The NR Sr after 14 days is less than 7.9 × 10 –4  g·m −2 ·d −1 , which shows the excellent chemical durability of glass. FT-IR and MD simulation results show that the matrix consists of [AlO 4 ] and [SiO 4 ]. Graphical abstract