Garces J.I.T., Tigue A.A.S., Promentilla M.A.B., 2022, A Systematic Mapping Study of Geopolymers for Radioactive Waste Management, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 94, 1345-1350.
Proper radioactive waste management is one of the many critical factors for a successful and safe nuclear power program. Technologies to contain such waste must be available to reduce the environmental burden attributed to the nuclear power plant and ensure public safety. Engineered or technical barriers for nuclear waste disposal have commonly employed cementitious materials for long-term containment in surface and underground geological radioactive waste repositories. One of the promising emerging materials that can be used as an alternative is the geopolymer. This is an emerging cementitious material with lower embodied energy and carbon footprint compared to conventional Portland cement-based materials. This study aims to assess the scope of the extent, range, and nature of research activity around geopolymer and radioactive waste management. The results revealed geopolymer can be an alternative material for immobilization and encapsulation of radioactive waste. Moreover, understanding the chemistry and the mechanism of how radioactive wastes are bounded to the matrix is necessary to aid in evaluating the long-term performance of such an alternative.
