Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
RECYCLING AND REUSE APPROACHES FOR BETTER SUSTAINABILITY, ss.165-178, 2019 (SCI-Expanded)
Cement is a composite material and it consists of different raw materials. The raw materials which are used in the cement production industry are commonly obtained from rocks such as limestone, gypsum, clay, and iron ore. In addition, the cement raw materials may also include natural radionuclides such as Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40, which may have an adverse effect on human health. Hence, determination of natural radioactivity level is very important for human health safety. In this study, natural activity concentrations of Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40 are investigated in cement and cement raw materials in Turkey as a case study. In addition, eight different radiological parameters and indices were calculated from activity concentrations. The natural radioactivity due to the presence of Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40 was measured using the gamma spectrometer coupled with HPGe detector. The mean measured activity concentrations of Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40 in the raw materials were 38.14, 92.66, and 636.63 Bq kg(-1), respectively, with higher activity concentrations in coal for Ra-226 and trass for Th-232 and K-40. Mean activity concentrations of natural radionuclides (Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40) in cement samples were found as 34.26, 58.2, and 512, respectively. The results showed that coal and fly ash are the principal contributors for the presence of Ra-226 activity concentration, trass and iron ore materials for the presence of Th-232, and clay and trass raw materials for the presence of K-40 in cements.