ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nucl. Eng.
Sec. Radioactive Waste Management
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancing Geopolymer Technology for Radioactive Waste Treatment: Innovations, Applications, and ChallengesView all 3 articles
First Evaluation of Geopolymer Encapsulation of Simulated Alkaline Aluminum-Rich Liquid Waste from Mo-99 Production
Provisionally accepted
- 1Programa Nacional de Gestión de Residuos Radiactivos, Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2Gerencia Materiales, Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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This study investigates the synthesis and characterization of metakaolin-based geopolymers for the immobilization of simulated aluminum-containing radioactive liquid waste. Two kaolin precursors with different Si/Al ratios and purities were calcined between 700 and 900 °C. Geopolymers were prepared using a sodium silicate–NaOH activating solution (10 M NaOH) with and without sand, and cured at 60 °C. The effects of curing time and simulated liquid waste incorporation (10–40 wt%) on mechanical strength and microstructural development were evaluated through compressive strength tests, XRD, and SEM analyses. The results showed that curing time influenced strength development. Incorporation of simulated liquid waste generally reduced compressive strength, probably due to increased porosity and decreased metakaolin (MK) dissolution; however acceptable performance was achieved at a 20 wt% addition for MKSR-based geopolymers. XRD analyses confirmed the formation of an amorphous band between 25°-35° typical of geopolymer structures. In contrast, MKS-based geopolymers exhibited lower mechanical strength and incomplete gel formation under the tested conditions. These findings demonstrate the potential of local precursor MKSR metakaolin-based geopolymers as promising matrices for the immobilization of aluminum-bearing radioactive liquid waste.
Keywords: alkaline aluminum liquids, geopolymer, Immobilization, Mo-99 production, Predisposal management, Radioactive Waste
Received: 03 Nov 2025; Accepted: 15 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Talavera Ramos, Tellería Narváez, Dos Santos, Arcone and Manzini. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ayelén Manzini
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