Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
Mineralogical-geochemical investigation of a sample of nepheline syenite (urtite) as a natural analog of final radioactive waste form has been performed. The specimen of urtite consists of nepheline, alkali feldspar, pyroxene, sphene, apatite and minor magnetite and amphibole. As a first approximation, urtite simulates the mineral composition of waste slag produced in a plasma shaft furnace at SIA “Radon”. Determination of chemical compositions of the minerals by electron-probe microanalysis has shown that the main phases that hosted radionuclides and their geochemical analogs are as follows: nepheline (Rb and probably Cs), feldspar (Ba), sphene (Zr, Nb, REE, and actinides) and apatite (Sr, REE, and actinides).