Ce travail vise à comprendre et quantifier le comportement de U(VI) dans les argilites du Callovo-Oxfordien(COₓ), prévues pour accueillir les déchets nucléaires de haute activité en France. L’effet de la température sur ce comportement est particulièrement étudié. La première partie du travail s'est concentrée sur les propriétés thermodynamiques des complexes ternaires Ca-U(VI)-CO₃ qui contrôlent la spéciation de U(VI) en solution. Ces dernières ont été mesurées par une méthode de compétition en présence d’une résine sous pCO₂ et pH contrôlés. Les résultats indiquent que la température ne favorise pas la formation de CaUO₂(CO₃)₃²⁻ (log₁₀ βº₁₁₃ = 27,3 ± 0,3 ; ΔrHº = -27,4 ± 8 kJ/mol) et n'affecte pas la formation de Ca₂UO₂(CO₃)₃(aq)(log₁₀ βº₂₁₃ = 29,7 ± 0,3 ; ΔrHº = 0 ± 2 kJ/mol). Une approche « bottom-up » avec le modèle « 2SPNE SC /CE » publié dans la littérature a été suivie pour décrire les phénomènes de sorption, en considérant que la fraction argileuse du COₓ (Illite et I/S) gouverne la sorption de U(VI). Ce modèle a été appliqué avec succès pour reproduire une multitude de données expérimentales obtenues avec l'illite, la fraction argileuse du COₓ et les argilites du COₓ en fonction de paramètres clés (pH, pCO₂, [U(VI)], [Ca]) à 20 °C. Le phénomène de rétention dans les conditions in-situ est principalement régi par la sorption des complexes U(VI)-carbonate et une nouvelle constante d´équilibre de réaction de complexation de surface est proposée pour l'illite. Une augmentation de la température à 80 °C conduit à une augmentation de la rétention de U(VI) sur le COₓ. Cette augmentation est accompagnée d'un changement de pCO₂et de pH. Le modèle de rétention testé à 20 °C combiné avec les paramètres thermodynamiques décrivant le comportement de U(VI) en solution expliquent cette augmentation sans pour autant obtenir un accord satisfaisant avec l’expérience. Le modèle est amélioré en intégrant des valeurs de ΔrHº obtenues pour les réactions de complexation de surface à partir du système U(VI)/illite. / The aim of this study was to understand and quantify the behaviour of U(VI) on the Callovo-Oxfordian(COx) clay which is envisioned to host high-level radioactive waste in France. The temperature effect up to 80°C on this behaviour was particularly studied. The first part of the work focussed on the thermodynamic properties of the calcium uranyl carbonate aqueous complexes which govern U(VI) speciation in solution. They were measured indirectly by sorption-based methodologies under controlled pCO₂ and pH. The results indicate that the temperature does not favour the formation of CaUO₂(CO₃)₃²⁻ (log₁₀ βº₁₁₃ = 27,3 ± 0,3 ; ΔrHº = -27,4 ± 8 kJ/mol) and does not affect the formation of Ca₂UO₂(CO₃)₃(aq)(log₁₀ βº₂₁₃ = 29,7 ± 0,3 ; ΔrHº = 0 ± 2 kJ/mol). A bottom-up approach with the published “2SPNE SC/CE”model was used for describing the sorption processes, with the assumption that the clay fraction of the COx (Illite, andI/S) governs U(VI) sorption.The model was successfully applied to reproduce a wealth of experimental data obtained with illite, the COₓ clay fractionand the COₓ clay rock as a function of key parameters (pH, pCO2, [U(VI)], [Ca]) at 20 °C. The sorption on COₓ conditions is mainly governed by the sorption of U(VI)-CO3 complexes and a new sorption constant is proposed for illite. An increase in temperature to 80 °C leads to an in-crease of U(VI) retention on COx. This increase is ac-companiedby a change of both pCO₂ and pH. The sorption model developed at 20 °C, together with the thermodynamic parameters describing U(VI) speciation in solution, can explain this increase but without obtaining a good agreement with the experiment. The model is improved by considering ΔrHº values for sur-face complexation reactions obtained for the U(VI))/illite system.

Scaling in green liquor handling systems is a persistent problem in many kraft mills. Scaling is commonly believed to be the result of pirssonite (Na2Ca(CO3)2∙2H2O) deposition. In this work, scale characterization was performed by analyzing 12 scale samples obtained from 10 kraft mills. Only 4 samples were identified as pirssonite while the remaining consisted of CaCO3. The predominant presence of CaCO3 in the scale samples was found to be the result of selective dissolution of Na2CO3 from pirssonite scale, leaving CaCO3 behind. Experimental studies were also conducted to study pirssonite solubility under green liquor conditions. Results obtained from these studies were used to create and validate a database for pirssonite in the OLI Systems® software to predict its formation. This database was used to generate a family of pirssonite solubility curves that can be used by the kraft mills as operational guidelines to prevent pirssonite precipitation.

Scaling in green liquor handling systems is a persistent problem in many kraft mills. Scaling is commonly believed to be the result of pirssonite (Na2Ca(CO3)2∙2H2O) deposition. In this work, scale characterization was performed by analyzing 12 scale samples obtained from 10 kraft mills. Only 4 samples were identified as pirssonite while the remaining consisted of CaCO3. The predominant presence of CaCO3 in the scale samples was found to be the result of selective dissolution of Na2CO3 from pirssonite scale, leaving CaCO3 behind. Experimental studies were also conducted to study pirssonite solubility under green liquor conditions. Results obtained from these studies were used to create and validate a database for pirssonite in the OLI Systems® software to predict its formation. This database was used to generate a family of pirssonite solubility curves that can be used by the kraft mills as operational guidelines to prevent pirssonite precipitation.

Abstract This research is designed to investigate the occurrence of interdiffusion-induced mesopores, Brownian motion, cleaving and healing and defect clusters in three binary composites, i.e. Ni1-xO/Co1-xO, Ni1-xO/ZrO2 and Co1-xO/ZrO2 of the Ni1-xO-Co1-xO-ZrO2 system. Firstly, the (NimCo1-m)1-£_O/Ni-doped Co3-dO4 composites prepared by reactive sintering Ni1-xO and Co1-xO powders (1:2 molar ratio, denoted as N1C2) at 1000oC with or without further annealing at 720oC in air were studied by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy to clarify the formation mechanism of mesoporous spinel precipitates. Submicron-sized inter- and intragranular pores, due to incomplete sintering and grain boundary detachment, prevails in (Ni0.33Co0.67)1-£_O protoxide with rock salt structure; whereas nanosize pores due to Kirkendall effect were restricted to the spinel precipitates having Ni component progressively expelled upon annealing. A rapid net vacancy flux and a tensile misfit stress perpendicular to the protoxide/spinel interface caused the formation of elongated and aligned {100}-faceted mesopores in the spinel precipitates with a relatively low equilibrium vacancy concentration. Aligned mesopores in diffusion zone of nonstoichiometric metal oxides have potential applications on thermal barrier bond coating and mass-transport limited heterogeneous catalysis. Also, this thesis deals with the reorientation and shape change of low-crystal-symmetry (non-cubic) ZrO2 within the high-crystal-symmetry grains of Co1-xO/Ni1-xO cubic rock salt-type structure. ZrO2/Co1-xO composites 1:99 and ZrO2/Ni1-xO composites 1:9 in molar ratio were sintered and then annealed at 1650oC for 24 and 100 h in air to induce reorientation of the embedded particles. Transmission electron microscopic observations in both systems indicated that the submicron tetragonal/monoclinic (t/m) ZrO2 particles fell into three topotaxial relationships with respect to the host Co1-xO/Ni1-xO grain: (1) parallel topotaxy, (2) ¡§eutectic¡¨ topotaxy i.e. [100]Z//[111]C,N, [010]Z//[0 1]C,N and (3) ¡§occasional¡¨ topotaxy [100]Z//[111]C,N, [01 ]Z//[0 1]C,N. The parallel topotaxy has a beneficial low energy for the family of {100}Z/C,N and {111}Z/C,N interfaces. The change from the occasional topotaxy to an energetically more favorable eutectic topotaxy was likely achieved by a rotation of the ZrO2 particles over a specific (100)Z/(111)C,N interface. Brownian-type rotation is probable for the embedded t-ZrO2 particles in terms of anchorage release at the interphase interface with the Co1-xO/Ni1-xO host. Detachment or bypassing of rock salt type grain boundaries could also cause orientation as well as shape changes of intergranular ZrO2 particles. Zirconia-polymorphism-induced cleaving and spontaneous healing by precipitation was studied in Co1-xO polycrystals containing a dispersion of ZrO2 particles. Conventional, analytical, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy indicated that the Co1-xO matrix cleaves parallel to {100} and {110} planes and heals itself by co-precipitation of parallel-topotaxial ZrO2/Co3-£_O4 particles upon cooling. Due to size effect and matrix constraint, nanometer-size ZrO2 precipitates at cleavages were able to retain tetragonality upon further cooling to room temperature. Paracrystalline array of defect cluster was shown to form in Zr-doped Ni1-xO and Co1-xO polycrystals while prepared by sintering at relative high temperature, i.e., 1650oC to increase the defect concentration. Paracrystalline array of defect clusters in Co3-£_O4 spinel structure also occurred when doped with Zr4+ at high temperature or cooled below 900oC to activate oxy-precipitation of Co3-dO4 at dislocations. transmission electron microscopic observations indicated the spinel precipitate and its paracrystal predominantly formed at the ZrO2/Co1-xO interface and the cleavages/dislocations of the Co1-xO host. Defect chemistry consideration suggests the paracrystal is due to the assembly of charge- and volume-compensating defects of the 4:1 type with four octahedral vacant sites surrounding one Co3+-filled tetrahedral interstitial site. The spacing of paracrystalline distribution is 3.3, 2.9 and 4.9 times the lattice parameter for Zr-doped Ni1-xO, Zr-doped Co1-xO and Zr-doped Co3-dO4. This spacing between defect clusters is about 0.98 times that of the previously studied undoped Co3-dO4. There is much larger (3.4 times difference) paracrystalline spacing for Zr-doped Co3-£_O4 than its parent phase of Zr-doped Co1-xO.