Microwave irradiation assisted sodium hexametaphosphate modification on the alkali-activated blast furnace slag for enhancing immobilization of strontium.

Abstract

An inadvertent leakage of 90Sr into the environment can induce an easy accumulation in biosphere and cause a continuous radiation to the surrounding ecosystem. In this study, sodium hexametaphosphate (Na6O18P6) was employed to modify the blast furnace slags (BFS) to enhance the chemical stabilization of Sr2+ ions in the BFS-based cementitious materials. Microwave irradiation (MW) was used to further increase the binder activity of BFS samples and strengthened the mechanical strengths and durability of BFS-based blocks. A combination of experimental factors including the mass ratio of Na6O18P6 to BFS-Sr0.1 of 15%, the ratio of solid to liquid of 1:4 mg/L, the output power of 650 W, and the ac..