Vitrification of high-level liquid waste: glass chemistry, process chemistry and process technology

The management of high-active liquid waste includes the solidification and the subsequent isolation in a deep geological formation. Vitrification is internationally accepted as the technology of choice for its immobilization. It is the best-demonstrated available technology. The advantages of the glass waste form are its tolerance of chemical variability, chemical durability and processability. About one dozen of vitrification plants are worldwide being operated or in the planning stage. One of the latter is the Karlsruhe vitrification plant (VEK) at Karlsruhe, which makes use of the liquid-fed ceramic melter process. This process is described with respect to the process technique, especially the melter technique and the process chemistry. Also basic aspects of the glass chemistry are discussed.