Abstract:Solidification efficiencies of heavy metals and radioactive metals by alkali-activated cement (AAC) were investigated by identification tests for extraction toxicity and long-term leaching tests. The influence of heavy metal to AAC microstructure was analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive. AAC was prepared from cement, silicon fume, metakaolin, fly ash, ground granulated blast-furnace slag and potassium hydroxide. Results from identification tests for extraction toxicity show that AAC has a good capability to solidify heavy metals. Solidification rates of heavy metals including cuprum, plumbum, nickel, zincum and cadmium are above 99.97%. It is proved by FTIR that Cuprum comes into the AAC product and affects vibration frequencies of O-Si-O bond, Al-O-Si bond and Si-O-Si bond in the chemical combination way. But it doesn’t bring any new changes of chemical structure in AAC product. In long-term leaching tests, AAC has higher solidification efficiencies of radioactive metals (cesium and strontium) than cement has. The leaching rates of cesium are always higher than those of strontium at the same leaching age. It is to say that cesium is more difficult to be solidified than strontium. The results show that alkali-activated cement has good solidification efficiencies to heavy metal and radioactive metal and it can be used to solidify hazardous wastes containing heavy metal and radioactive metal.