ABSTRACT
To avoid inflow of water to the waste emplacement areas and to exclude an escape of toxic components into the biosphere, the hydro-mechanical integrity of the seal has to be ensured, but again, as a challenge, in the special case of Teutschenthal already after only some few decades. The shaft sealing system consists of the lower self-bearing abutment followed by a series of alternating sealing and abutment elements of MgO-concrete, bitumen/ asphalt layers and a bentonite section, depending on the surrounding lithological host rocks, i.e. saliferous layers consisting mainly of rock salt and clay sections. The new developed shaft sealing concept will be introduced in detail in the following.
