Natural radioactivity in building materials in the European Union: a database and an estimate of radiological significance

The reuse of industrial by-products is important for members of numerous industrial sectors. However, though the benefits of reuse are evident from an economical point of view, some compounds in these materials can have a negative effect on users' health.In this study, the radon emanation and exhalation features of red mud were surveyed using heattreatment (100 to 1200°C). As a result of the 1200°C-treated samples, massic radon exhalation capacity reduced from 75 ± 10 mBq kg -1 h -1 to 7 ± 4 mBq kg -1 h -1 , approximately 10% of the initial exhalation rate.To find an explanation for internal structural changes, the porosity features of the heat-treated samples were also investigated. It was found that the cumulative pore volume reduced significantly in less than 100 nm, which can explain the reduced massic exhalation capacity in the high temperature treated range mentioned above.SEM snapshots were taken of the surfaces of the samples as visual evidence for superficial morphological changes. It was found that the surface of the high temperature treated samples had changed, proving the decrement of open pores on the surface.

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“…Szabó et al 2013;Trevisi et al 2012, Cosma et al 2013 contributes to natural background radiation in two ways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influencing effect of heat-treatment on radon emanation and exhalation characteristic of red mud

Sas

Szántó

Kovács

et al. 2015

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

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“…Regarding the final product e concrete, measured activity concentrations of all three radionuclides in all ten concrete mixtures were below the average values in the databased presented by Trevisi et al (2012), Table 5 For that purpose, the 40 K, 226 Ra and 232 Th activity concentrations and I-indices of all HVFAC samples were calculated from the measured activity concentrations of the concrete components taking into account their mass portion in a concrete mass of unit volume (Table 4). …”

Section: Natural Radionuclide Content Of Samples Determined By Gamma mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The natural radionuclide content of inbuilt building materials can have an effect on human health which can be different from the outdoor value (Sas et al, 2015a;Szabo et al, 2013;Trevisi et al, 2012Trevisi et al, , 2013. This is the reason why the reduction and limitation of exposure to building materials must meet various radiological conditions, e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies found that the natural radionuclide content in fly ash can be significantly high (Somlai et al, 1999(Somlai et al, , 2006Petropoulos et al, 2002;Stojanovska et al, 2010). Therefore, utilization of FA as a supplementary material in cement production can cause a dose contribution to residents as a result of bulk inbuilt of concrete.The natural radionuclide content of inbuilt building materials can have an effect on human health which can be different from the outdoor value (Sas et al, 2015a;Szabo et al, 2013;Trevisi et al, 2012Trevisi et al, , 2013. This is the reason why the reduction and limitation of exposure to building materials must meet various radiological conditions, e.g.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Radiological and material characterization of high volume fly ash concrete

Ignjatović

Sas

Dragaš

et al. 2017

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

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The main goal of research presented in this paper was the material and radiological characterization of high volume fly ash concrete (HVFAC) in terms of determination of natural radionuclide content and radon emanation and exhalation coefficients. All concrete samples were made with a fly ash content between 50% and 70% of the total amount of cementitious materials from one coal burning power plant in Serbia. Physical (fresh and hardened concrete density) and mechanical properties (compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and modulus of elasticity) of concrete were tested. The radionuclide content ( 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K) and radon massic exhalation of HVFAC samples were determined using gamma spectrometry.Determination of massic exhalation rates of HVFAC and its components using radon accumulation chamber techniques combined with a radon monitor was performed. The results show a beneficial effect of pozzolanic activity since the increase in fly ash content resulted in an increase in compressive strength of HVFAC by approximately 20% for the same mass of cement used in the mixtures. On the basis of the obtained radionuclide content of concrete components the I-indexes of different HVFAC samples were calculated and compared with measured values (0.27 -0.32), which were significantly below the recommended 1.0 index value. The prediction was relatively close to the measured values as the ratio between the calculated and measured I-index ranged between 0.89 and 1.14. Collected results of mechanical and radiological properties and performed calculations clearly prove that all 10 designed concretes with a certain type of fly ash are suitable for structural and non-structural applications both from a material and radiological point of view. KeywordsFly ash, Concrete, NORM, I-index, Radon exhalation 1. Introduction BackgroundThe building industry has one of the largest environmental impacts among all human activities:an annual consumption of 10 -11 billion tons of aggregate (Meyer, 2002) and 4.18 billion tons of cement (USGS, 2015). Apart from extremely high resource and energy consumption, cement production is a significant source of CO2 emissions, accounting for approximately 4.4% of global CO2 emissions from industry in 2007(Boden et al., 2010.There are many ideas that have been proposed to make concrete "greener" and more sustainable but they are all based on two principles: reuse and reduce. Concepts based on the "reduce" principle are oriented towards decreasing cement production based on natural materials and result in a reduction in CO2 emissions. With respect to the requirements for concrete as the world's most used man-made material, a lower production of Ordinary Portland cement must be compensated with alternative sources of binders in concrete production. There are several industrial sectors which produce significant amounts of residues such as fly ash (FA), bottom ash, red mud, steel slag, nonferrous slag, etc. which can be used for that purpose (Shi et al., 2006).Millions of tons of FA,...

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“…19-29 cm dependent on wall height in UK building regulations (HM Government 2013)), and as a result, these products are likely to emit gamma radiation and radon into the indoor environment. Standard building materials will of course also contain certain levels of naturally occurring radionuclides, which will vary by geography (Trevisi et al 2012). The incorporation of NORM-enriched wastes into building material has the potential to lead to exposure above that of the average building material.…”

Section: Identification Of Release and Exposure Pathwaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

A framework for including enhanced exposure to naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in LCA

Joyce

Goronovski

Tkaczyk

et al. 2016

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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Purpose Despite advances in the development of impact categories for ionising radiation, the focus on artificial radionuclides produced in the nuclear fuel cycle means that the potential impacts resulting from increased exposure to naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) are still only covered to a limited degree in life cycle assessment (LCA). Here, we present a potential framework for the inclusion of the exposure routes and impact pathways particular to NORM in LCA. Methods We assess the potential magnitude of enhanced NORM exposure, particularly in light of the potential use of NORM residues in building materials, and set out the potential exposure routes that may exist. We then assess the current state of the art, in terms of available fate, exposure and damage models, both within and outside of the LCA sphere. Finally, these exposure routes and modelling techniques are combined in order to lay out a potential framework for NORM assessment in LCA, both in terms of impact on humans and ecosystems. Results and discussion Increased exposure to NORM radionuclides can result either from their release to the environment or their proximity to humans as they reside in stockpiles, landfills or products. The exposure route via products is considered to be increasingly significant in light of current attempts to incorporate technologically enhanced NORMs (TENORM) including bauxite residue into building materials, by groups such as the ETN-MSCA REDMUD project. Impact assessment models for NORM exposure are therefore required to avoid potential burden shifting in the assessment of such TENORM products. Models describing the fate of environmental releases, the exhalation of radon from building products and the shielding effects on landfills/stockpiles are required to assess potential exposure. Subsequently, models relating exposure to radiation sources and the effective internal and external dose received by receptors are required. Finally, an assessment of the damage caused to the receptors is desirable. Conclusions A sufficient suite of currently existing and internationally recognised models exist that can, with varying degrees of modification, form the building blocks of a comprehensive NORM characterisation method for LCA. The challenge ahead lies in consolidating these models, from disparate fields, into a coherent and generally applicable method for the assessment of enhanced NORM exposure in LCA.

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Natural radioactivity in building materials in the European Union: a database and an estimate of radiological significance

Cited by 156 publications

References 2 publications

Influencing effect of heat-treatment on radon emanation and exhalation characteristic of red mud

Influencing effect of heat-treatment on radon emanation and exhalation characteristic of red mud

Radiological and material characterization of high volume fly ash concrete

A framework for including enhanced exposure to naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in LCA

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