Medidas de concentração de radônio proveniente de argamassas de cimento portland, gesso e fosfogesso

Portland cement being very common construction material has in its composition the natural gypsum. To decrease the costs of manufacturing, the cement industry is substituting the gypsum in its composition by small quantities of phosphogypsum, which is the residue generated by the production of fertilizers and consists essentially of calcium dihydrate and some impurities, such as fluoride, metals in general, and radionuclides. Currently, tons of phosphogypsum are stored in the open air near the fertilizer industries, causing contamination of the environment. The 226 Ra present in these materials, when undergoes radioactive decay, produces the 222Rn gas. This radioactive gas, when inhaled together with its decay products deposited in the lungs, produces the exposure to radiation and can be a potential cause of lung cancer. Thus, the objective of this study was to measure the concentration levels of 222Rn from cylindrical samples of Portland cement, gypsum and phosphogypsum mortar from the state of Paraná, as well as characterizer the material and estimate the radon concentration in an environment of hypothetical dwelling with walls covered by such materials. Experimental setup of 222Rn activity measurements was based on AlphaGUARD detector (Saphymo GmbH). The qualitative and quantitative analysis was performed by gamma spectrometry and EDXRF with Au and Ag targets tubes (AMPTEK), and Mo target (ARTAX) and mechanical testing with x- ray equipment (Gilardoni) and the mechanical press (EMIC). Obtained average values of radon activity from studied materials in the air of containers were of 854 ± 23 Bq/m3, 60,0 ± 7,2 Bq/m3 e 52,9 ± 5,4 Bq/m3 for Portland cement, gypsum and phosphogypsum mortar, respectively. These results extrapolated into the volume of hypothetical dwelling of 36 m3 with the walls covered by such materials were of 3366 ± 91 Bq/m3, 237 ± 28 Bq/m3 e 208 ± 21 Bq/m3for Portland cement, gypsum and phosphogypsum mortar, respectively. Considering the limit of 300 Bq/m3 established by the ICRP, it could be concluded that the use of Portland cement plaster in dwellings is not secure and requires some specific mitigation procedure. Using the results of gamma spectrometry there were calculated the values of radium equivalent activity concentrations (Raeq) for Portland cement, gypsum and phosphogypsum mortar, which were obtained equal to 78,2 ± 0,9 Bq/kg; 58,2 ± 0,9 Bq/kg e 68,2 ± 0,9 Bq/kg, respectively. All values of radium equivalent activity concentrations for studied samples are below the maximum level of 370 Bq/kg. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of EDXRF spectra obtained with studied mortar samples allowed to evaluate quantitate and the elements that constitute the material such as Ca, S, Fe, and others.

Material para construção civil a partir de lodo de estação de tratamento de água, lama de polimento de mármore e resíduo de produção de cal

The rapid population growth is the great motivator for the development of the construction industry and the increased demand for drinking water, resulting in a gradual increase in the generation of solid waste. Thus, this work was carried out in order to recycle industrial and municipal wastes incorporating them into materials for civil construction. The composite produced from water treatment sludge and marble polishing mud, applying lime production waste as a binder, was evaluated for its mechanical performance and its morphological structure. The raw materials were characterized for their chemical composition, mineralogy, morphology, particle size and also the moisture content. With the featured materials nine compositions have been developed varying the content of the water treatment sludge between 25 to 50%, marble polishing mud between 35 to 50% and the lime production waste between 10 to 30%. The composites were subjected to mechanical strength tests, water absorption, chemical and mineralogical composition and morphology. The developed materials presented, on the 3rd day of hydration, maximum strength value of 4.65 MPa, the 7th day 6.36 MPa, on the 14th day 6.74 MPa, the 28th day 5.98 MPa, on the 60th day 8.52 MPa at 90th day 11.75 MPa and 180th day 12.06 MPa. The water absorption values after 28 days of hydration ranged from 16.27% to 26.32% and after 90 days, from 13.57% to 23.56%.