Synthese und Charakterisierung von Lanthanoid- und Actinoid-Zirkonaten

Since 1954, over 390,000 metric tons of nuclear waste have been produced by
commercial nuclear power stations worldwide. Spent nuclear fuel does not only contain
uranium, but also various fission and neutron activation products such as plutonium, americium,
and curium. If they were released into the biosphere, they could present a health hazard for
humans and animals. Therefore, the isolation of nuclear waste from the environment over
long periods of time becomes necessary. Many countries favor deep geological repositories
with a multi-barrier system. The immobilized radioactive material will be stored in dry, corrosion
resistant metal or concrete containers which are surrounded by various buffer and back-fill
materials as well as the host rock itself. Hereby, the waste matrix presents the first barrier
preventing the release of radionuclides into the environment.