Graphite immobilisation in iron phosphate glass composite materials produced by microwave and conventional sintering routes

Abstract An investigation of microwave and conventional processing of iron phosphate based graphite glass composite materials as potential wasteforms for the immobilisation of irradiated graphite is reported. For the base iron phosphate glass, full reaction of the raw materials and formation of a glass melt occurs with consequent removal of porosity at 8 min microwave processing. When graphite is present, iron phosphate crystalline phases are formed with higher levels of residual porosity than in the sample prepared using conventional sintering under argon. It is found that graphite reacts with the microwave field when in powder form but this reaction is minimised when the graphite is incorporated into a pellet, and that the graphite also impedes sintering of the glass. Mossbauer spectroscopy indicates that reduction of iron also occurs with concomitant graphite oxidation. Conventionally sintered samples had lower porosities than the equivalent microwaved ones.