Process Technology for Development and Performance Improvement of Medical Radiation Shield Made of Eco-Friendly Oyster Shell Powder

• 發表在: Applied Sciences
• 主要作者: Seon-Chil Kim
• 格式: Article
• 語言: 英语
• 出版: MDPI AG 2022-01-01
• 主題: eco-friendly material; radiation shielding; radiation shielding sheet; oyster shell
• 在線閱讀: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/968

As radiation-based techniques become increasingly important tools for medical diagnostics, medical professionals face increasing risk from the long-term effects of scattered radiation exposure. Although existing radiation-shielding products used in medicine are traditionally lead-based, recently, the development of more eco-friendly materials such as tungsten, bismuth, and barium sulfate has drawn attention. However, lead continues to be superior to the proposed alternative materials in terms of shielding efficiency and cost effectiveness. This study explores the feasibility of radiation shielding materials based on the shells of bivalve mollusks such as oysters that are discarded from aquaculture, thereby preventing them from going into landfills. In addition, a firing process for enhancing the shielding efficiency of the original material is proposed. Experiments show that shielding sheets comprising 0.3 mm thick layers of oyster shell achieve a shielding efficiency of 37.32% for the low-energy X-rays typically encountered in medical institutions. In addition, the shielding efficiency was improved by increasing the density of the powdered oyster shell via plastic working at 1200 °C. This raises the possibility of developing multi-material radiation shields and highlights a new potential avenue for recycling aquaculture waste.