Radionuclide concentration and radon exhalation in new mix design of bricks produced reusing NORM by-products: the influence of mineralogy and texture

Many industrial by-products contain Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) that normally represent a cost in terms of monitoring, risk management and storage. When included in new mix design of bricks, these materials may become a valuable sustainable resource. Before marketing, companies involved in development and commercialisation of these new building materials ensure safety related to radiation, usually by assessing radon-related risk. According to the Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom, both raw materials and final products used in building constructions need to be tested for activity concentration. The present work explores the radionuclide concentration and the radon exhalation of bricks obtained recycling different types of potentially radioactive wastes: i) trachyte as by-product resulting from quarry operations, and ii) two different types of industrial sludge derived from ceramic tiles industry. Raw materials were studied in order to envisage any potential radioactive risk derived from their use as secondary raw materials, while fired bricks were investigated in order to assess the influence of mineralogy and texture on their radioactive properties and on their effective radon-risk.

COLETTI Chiara;  BRATTICH Erika;  CINELLI Giorgia;  CULTRONE Giuseppe;  MARITAN Lara;  MAZZOLI Claudio;  MOSTACCI Domiziano;  TOSITTI Laura;  SASSI Raffaele; 

2020-11-27

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

JRC120456

0950-0618 (online),   

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC120456,   

10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.119820 (online),