Radiation shielding and experimental characteristics of tincal waste added with obsidians

The use of natural resources and waste products represents an effective way of addressing a pressing concern for the future of the global population. It is therefore crucial to evaluate wastes and natural materials as raw materials in many industries. The present study sought to investigate the radiation protection features and experimental characteristics of tincal waste added with obsidians from Eastern Turkey (Nemrut, Pasinler, Sarıkamış and Ikizdere regions). Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy and Energy dispersive spectroscopy were used to have knowledge for morphological and structural properties of the samples. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the samples with higher obsidian content revealed an amorphous structure with a minor presence of crystalline phases. In contrast, the samples with a higher tincal waste content exhibited crystalline phases. Based on morphologic results, it can be said that obsidian samples exhibited relatively smooth and glassy surfaces, whereas tincal waste displayed a rough surface comprising randomly shaped small particles. In addition, radiation attenuating abilities of the tincal waste added with obsidians were determined by the calculation of tenth value layers, half value layers, mean free paths, mass attenuation coefficients, linear attenuation coefficients, fast neutron removal cross sections, effective atomic numbers and buildup factors using the newly produced Phy-X/PSD code. It is obtained that the samples show good radiation protection performances and the samples can be evaluated as better radiation shields for radiation applications especially in construction industry.