Rare-earth disilicate formation under Deep Geological Repository approach conditions

The Deep Geological Repository (DGR) concept involves the placement of long-lived radioactive waste in rooms excavated deep. The major responsibility of the disposal safety falls on the Engineered Barrier System (EBS). The main constituent of EBS is bentonite that prevents the release of radiactive nuclei by physical and chemical mechanisms. The physical mechanism is expected to fault with the weathering of the bentonite while the chemical mechanisms have been only proved at 300 °C. It is the aim of this paper to explore the feasibility of the chemical mechanism at temperatures closer to the DGP conditions and to shed light on the mechanism of transformation of the argillaceous materials of the EBS in rare-earth disilicate phases. Saponite was submitted to hydrothermal reaction at 175 °C and 150 °C with different solutions of REE3+ cations (REE = Sc, Lu, Y, Sm, Nd and La). The products were analyzed by XRD, NMR and electron microscopy. At conditions close to the DGP, the saponite was able to form rare-earth silicates. The formation of the disilicate phase, as final product, needs a set of stages and oxyorthosilicate as precursor.