Silver tellurite glasses with melting temperatures
< 700 °C were prepared to immobilize the ¹²⁹I that normally
volatilizes during high-temperature melting. Glasses have densities of 6.31 ±
0.1 g/cm³ and transition temperatures of 165 ± 3 °C that provide
thermal stability at the disposal site. Iodine waste loading in glasses was as
high as 12.64 wt.% of all metallic elements and 11.21 wt.% including oxygen.
Normalized elemental releases obtained from the product consistency test were
well below US regulation of 2 g/m². Iodines are surrounded by four
Ag⁺ ions forming [Ag4I]³⁺ units that are further
connected to tellurite network through bonds with non-bridging oxygens.