The potential role of the degradation products of cement superplasticizers on the mobility of radionuclides

Superplasticizers added into cementitious materials can degrade due to hydrolytic, thermal, radiolytic and microbial effects. Short-chain organic compounds such as acetate, phthalate, oxalate, phenol, urea, etc., have been confirmed as possible degradation products of superplasticizers. This work pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inApplied geochemistry Vol. 98; pp. 1 - 9
Main Authors García, David, Grivé, Mireia, Duro, Lara, Brassinnes, Stéphane, de Pablo, Joan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2018
Subjects
Cement
Chemical degradation
Mobility
Radionuclides
Superplasticizers
Mobility
Superplasticizers
Radionuclides
Chemical degradation
Cement
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Summary:Superplasticizers added into cementitious materials can degrade due to hydrolytic, thermal, radiolytic and microbial effects. Short-chain organic compounds such as acetate, phthalate, oxalate, phenol, urea, etc., have been confirmed as possible degradation products of superplasticizers. This work presents a review of the degradation process of superplasticizers and a thermodynamic study on the effect that model compounds considered as proxy for their degradation products have on the solubility of several radionuclides (Ni, Eu, U). Our results indicate that the complexation capacity of the proxy superplasticizers degradation products considered (i.e. acetate, phthalate, phenol and urea) towards Ni Eu and U is almost negligible in alkaline conditions, but relatively important in the near-neutral pH range. •Alteration of superplasticizers lead to the formation of small organic compounds.•Degraded superplasticizers interactions with Ni-Eu-U are negligible in alkaline media.•In slightly alkaline media, phthalate and acetate, control the chemistry of Ni-Eu.
ISSN:0883-2927
1872-9134
DOI:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2018.09.004