article · Scientific African
This study evaluated concrete formulations that replace part of traditional cement with coconut shell ash for radiation shielding purposes. Coconut shells were processed into fine ash and blended into concrete mixes either alone or modified with barite and lime across seven test formulations. The concrete samples demonstrated densities between 2.2 and 2.40 grams per cubic centimetre. While ordinary coconut shell ash slightly reduced the linear attenuation coefficient against gamma rays at 0.081 MeV, the barite-lime-modified formulations increased this attenuation by up to 14.65 percent. In addition, the barite-lime-modified mixes showed good thermal stability at high temperatures and enhanced mechanical strength. The highest replacement levels provided the greatest waste management benefit alongside 90 percent cost effectiveness, with the 15 percent barite-lime-modified blend identified as the optimal combination for shielding materials.
Traditional concrete production consumes significant resources, while agricultural residues like coconut shells often end up as unmanaged waste. Integrating treated agricultural waste into specialized concrete offers a way to lower production costs and support waste management. Crucially, enhancing concrete to better absorb gamma radiation creates opportunities for safer, more sustainable protective shielding in environments where radiation and high temperatures are present.
This research provides applied laboratory testing for construction material manufacturers developing specialized radiation-shielding concrete. The technology could be relevant to facilities requiring structural radiation protection, such as medical radiotherapy centres or nuclear installations seeking cost-effective, high-temperature-stable shielding. Currently at an early-stage experimental formulation phase, further standardisation and field testing would be necessary before industrial adoption.
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This research partially replaced cement with coconut shell ash (CSA) to produce seven concrete samples, assessing the influence on the thermal, structural and mechanical characteristics of the resulting concrete for radiation shielding application. 3.8 kg of coconut shell was washed, dried and burnt (in muffle furnace at 200 °C) into ashes of total weight 0.38 kg at 10% yield/weight. The resulting ash was pulverized and sieved to fine powder. The control concrete (cement, sand and granite) was mixed with varying percentages of ordinary-CSA and barite-lime-modified-CSA to form seven samples. The sample's densities which ranged between 2.2 g/cm 3 to 2.40 g/cm 3 were obtained by Archimedes’ method. The XRD results revealed the presence of albite, muscovite, quartz and orthoclase feldspar across our samples. A good thermal stability against high temperatures, as well as improved mechanical strength were noticed with increased barite-lime-modified-CSA. Compared to the control concrete CSA-0.00, the LAC of CSA-0.05, CSA-0.10, and CSA-0.15 decreases by 4.43%, 5.28%, and 3.03% at γ-ray energies of 0.081 MeV, while that of CSA-CH-B-0.05, CSA-CH-B-0.10, and CSA-CH-B-0.15 respectively increased by 8.77%, 10.20%, and 14.65% at the same γ-ray energies. Sample CSA-0.15 and CSA-CH-B-0.15 showed greatest waste-management (WM%) with 90% cost-effectiveness. Therefore, the introduction of barite-lime-modified-CSA to concrete matrix increases the mechanical, thermal and γ-ray shielding properties of the concrete materials, with CSA-CH-B-0.15 as optimum combination for concrete in shielding application, indicating that barite-modernized-CSA additive have positive impact on the γ-ray shielding performance of concrete compared to ordinary CSA additive.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02578
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