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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 February 2011
A probabilistic cell model to study the hydration, alteration, and elemental release into solution from nuclear waste glasses is presented. This computational model considers the glass alteration as the product of hydration and multiple phase transformations. The model reveals that the elemental redistribution occurring as a consequence of these transformations can produce transport barriers that would affect the glass alteration and release into a surrounding aqueous solution. Importantly, the model also exhibits an apparent saturation concentration in solution, which has a kinetic origin and is lower than the true thermodynamic value. We also highlight the interplay among the different mechanisms that give rise to the glass corrosion process.