Bentonites are considered to be the most suitable materials for the multibarrier system of high-level radioactive waste repositories. Since BCV bentonite has been proved to be an ideal representative of Czech Ca-Mg bentonites in this respect, it has been included in the Czech Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (SÚRAO) buffer and backfill R&D programme. Detailed knowledge of processes in the material induced by thermal loading provides invaluable assistance regarding the evolution of the material under repository conditions. Samples of both original BCV 2017 bentonite and the same material thermally treated at 200 °C were characterised by means of chemical analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis, cation exchange capacity, specific surface area (BET) measurements, the determination of the swell index, the liquid limit, the swelling pressure and water retention curves. The smectite in BCV 2017 bentonite comprises Ca-Mg montmorillonite with a significant degree of Fe³⁺ substitution in the octahedral sheet. Two main transformation processes were observed following heating at 200 °C over 27 months, the first of which comprised the dehydration of the montmorillonite and the subsequent reduction of the 001 basal distance from 14.5 Å (the original BCV 2017) to 9.8 Å, thus indicating the absence of water molecules in the interlayer space. The second concerned the dehydration and partial dehydroxylation of goethite. With the exception of the dehydration of the interlayer space, the PXRD and FTIR study revealed the crystallochemical stability of the montmorillonite in BCV 2017 bentonite under the selected experimental conditions. The geotechnical tests indicated no major changes in the mechanical properties of the thermally treated BCV 2017 bentonite, as demonstrated by the similar swelling pressure values. However, the variation in the swell index and the gradual increase in the liquid limit with the wetting time indicated a lower hydration rate. The retention curves consistently showed the lower retention capacity of the thermally treated samples, thus indicating the incomplete re-hydration of the thermally treated BCV 2017 exposed to air humidity and the difference in its behaviour compared to the material exposed to liquid water.

It is assumed that clay materials such as bentonites will be used as the buffer and backfill of high-level radioactive waste disposal. Due to the very long timescale, the design can be based only on mathematical models that have been thoroughly validated via the use of high-quality laboratory data. The presentation of an extensive laboratory dataset, accompanied by the validation of a bentonite constitutive model, comprises the main topic of this paper. The objectives of the laboratory research were to determine the basic hydromechanical properties of BCV bentonite and to study the stress path behaviour of this bentonite. The laboratory results revealed that the hydromechanical behaviour is highly dependent on the stress path assumed, as well as the method of water introduction into the sample. The results further indicate that the micro- and macrostructures are constantly evolving, which exerts a significant impact on the determination of the material properties and the development of mathematical models. Moreover, it was demonstrated that swelling pressure tests, although they are typically considered to be element tests (with constant fields of state variables), when adopted by researchers for the calibration of constitutive models, do not in fact constitute element tests. A hypoplastic model of the behaviour of bentonite was implemented and validated using the experimental data obtained. It was demonstrated that the hypoplastic model accurately predicted the main behavioural features of bentonite that are important in terms of the prediction of the behaviour of the buffer in nuclear waste repositories.

The geological disposal of radioactive waste, based on a multi-barrier concept wherein the first barrier consists of the metal waste container and the final barrier the host rock, is widely considered the only viable solution to this issue. The bentonite-based seal around the canister forms one of the barriers. The unique swelling and sealing capabilities of bentonite play a major role in repository safety concepts in that they allow the bentonite barrier to withstand serious mechanical damage without its function being compromised.This paper presents experimental research focusing on the dynamics and mechanics of the sealing of cracks and joints using bentonite-based materials. Physical models were used to simulate the contact point of bentonite-based sealants with cracks in the rock mass. The models examined the ability of the tested material to fill the crack thus preventing the creation of a preferential water pathway. The results show that in most cases total bentonite advance (for the same material) into fissures is, primarily, linearly dependent on fissure width. The absolute value of advance could be related to the overall swelling ability of the material characterized by its swell index or swelling pressure.

The international DOPAS Project (Demonstration Of Plugs And Seals), which involves the participation of 14 European organizations (Posiva, ANDRA, DBE-TEC, GRS, NAGRA, RWA, SÚRAO, SKB, CTU, NRG, GSL, BTECH, VTT and ÚJV Řež), is concerned with the structural solution for sealing plugs to be used in deep geological radioactive waste repositories. The project is funded by the 7th Framework Programme – EURATOM. The Czech contribution to the DOPAS project (the EPSP experiment – Experimental Pressure and Sealing Plug) consists of an experiment that is being conducted at the Josef Regional Underground Research Centre (Josef URC, Čelina-Mokrsko). The aims of the EPSP experiment are to develop, monitor and verify the functionality of such plugs, and to determine a detailed characterization of the materials from which the plug is constructed. The EPSP experiment is being conducted by a Czech consortium made up of SÚRAO, CTU and ÚJV Řež, a. s.