Investigating the effect of hematite additive on the performance of clay barriers for radioactive waste disposals A Salati, H Share Isfahani, MA Roshanzamir, A Azhari Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment 81 (10), 415

The radiation shielding performance of bentonite clay as the main component of the landfill liners is investigated using hematite powder as an additive. For this, theoretical and experimental methods have been used to examine different mixtures of hematite powder and bentonite clay, including pure bentonite, and bentonite with 15, 30, and 45% of hematite powder. Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) experiments are undertaken to better understand and analyze bentonite and hematite from a chemical perspective. To evaluate the radiation shielding performance of the mixtures, the linear attenuation coefficient is calculated and simulated employing the XCOM database and MCNP code, respectively. The results are then compared with the experimental approach of radiation permeation by a NaI (Tl) detector which were in good agreement. The hydraulic permeability tests have …