International Journal of Advanced Research in ISSN: 2278-6252 Engineering and Applied Sciences Impact Factor: 4.817 Vol. 3 | No. 8 | August 2014 www.garph.co.uk IJAREAS | 16 PREPARATION AND STUDIES OF URANIUM DOPED LEAD-IRON-PHOSPHATE SIMULATED NUCLEAR WASTE GLASSES G. Hazra* A. Ghosh** T. Das** P. Mitra*** Abstract: Glasses in the system lead-iron phosphate (LIP) which mixed high uranyl acetate loaded with simulated nuclear waste were melted. Glasses were melt at the temperature (800 – 950°C) with a soaking period of 1 hr. Leaching study of these glasses up to a time period of 500 hrs. were conducted under Soxhlet distillation condition with distilled water. Weight losses and residual activities by ‘Radiotracer technique’ were followed with respect to time period of leaching. For some-glass samples containing uranium the leach rates as calculated from BET surface areas were in the range 8.2 x 10 –4 to 4.3 x 10 –3 g.m –2 . hr –1 at 90°C which is low compared with that of the borosilicate glass [1000 times lower at 90°C ]. Thermal study (DTA) shows the glass transition temperature to be in the range 360 – 400°C for the LIP glasses. IR, studies shows absorptions at 520, 1025, 1700, 2225 and 3450 cm –1 . SEM of some of the selected glasses were reported. The variation of different properties were taken into account in terms of the changes in the ionic charges and ionic radii and hence ionic potentials of the different modifier ions, the source of which being the respective modifier oxides viz., PbO, BaO, Fe 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 , Y 2 O 3 , CaCO 3 , CeO 2 , SrO 2 and UO 2 (CH 3 COO) 2 as for the different glass systems as discussed above. The model structure of such glasses have been considered taking the dual role of Fe 3+ / 2+ and Pb 2+ as glass formers/ modifier which ultimately has an effect on the chemical durability of these glasses. Keywords: Nuclear waste, simulated, lead-iron phosphate glass, immobilization, firing, soaking period, leaching, G-M. counter, net C.P.S., vitrification, Radiotracer technique, glass formers, intermediates and modifiers, BET surface area, thermal properties, glass transition temperature, FTIR, SEM, ionic potential. *Department of Chemistry, Kalna College (B.U.), Burdwan, India. **Department of Chemistry, The University of Burdwan, Burdwan, India. ***Department of Physics, The University of Burdwan, Burdwan, India.