Quintessa staff have a wealth of experience in modelling the properties and behaviour of bentonite, especially as a buffer/backfill material in radioactive waste repositories.
The interaction of bentonite barriers with a number of different materials have been investigated, including iron (steel), groundwater and cement/concrete. Quintessa have contributed to several studies on the geochemical modelling of iron-bentonite, cement-bentonite, and bentonite-rock interactions, by developing complex coupled-process models of bentonite behaviour. We have also participated in a number of international review teams assessing the role of bentonite in construction licence applications for proposed radioactive waste repositories.