Hydrothermal leaching of rhyolite glass in the environment has implications for nuclear waste disposal

Glass has been widely advocated as a suitable medium for the immobilization of high-level nuclear waste1–6. Methods of vitrification to borosilicate glass are advanced, with processes set up on a semi-industrial scale7–9, but an alternative strategy would be to incorporate waste into a high-silica glass10. It is generally proposed5,6 that vitrified radioactive waste be enclosed in metal canisters and stored underground. However, the presence of …