Patent ID: 6258994
Filing Date: 2001-07-10
Classification: C03C,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of vitrifying radioactive, hazardous, or mixed waste comprising:(1) mixing said waste with glass formers such that the resulting mixture comprises SiO.sub.2 and alkali oxide glass formers, wherein said alkali oxide glass formers comprise lithia formers and other alkali oxide glass formers in amounts such that the lithia formers, calculated as Li.sub.2 O, are from 10.0 wt % to about 100 wt % of the total alkali oxide glass formers, calculated as M.sub.2 O, where M is an alkali metal;(2) heating the mixture to a temperature below the melting point of a corresponding mixture without said lithia formers; and(3) melting the resulting mixture at said temperature and cooling the melted mixture to form a glass composition.