Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
The long-term selenate uptake capacity of leached cement was studied by means of a replenishment batch experiment with cement pore water (CPW) doped with selenate. The corresponding blank experiment (without Se) was also done. The systems were studied for 31 cycles (18-days each cycle) to understand the long-term selenate immobilization in leached cement. Results showed that the retention capacity of leached cement exponentially decreases with cycle evolution. Precipitation of ettringite, identified by SEM and XRD, occurred along the experiments. The characterization of the cement solid phases indicated that selenate was only retained in the precipitated ettringite.
Experimental data have been successfully modeled by assuming that selenate incorporates into the precipitating ettringite. Precipitation of ettringite is controlled by the kinetic dissolution of the initially present monocarboaluminate.