Applications Of Radiation Chemistry In The Fields Of Industry Biotechnology And Environment

The series Topics in Current Chemistry Collections presents critical reviews from the journal Topics in Current Chemistry organized in topical volumes. The scope of coverage is all areas of chemical science including the interfaces with related disciplines such as biology, medicine and materials science. The goal of each thematic volume is to give the non-specialist reader, whether in academia or industry, a comprehensive insight into an area where new research is emerging which is of interest to a larger scientific audience. Each review within the volume critically surveys one aspect of that topic and places it within the context of the volume as a whole. The most significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years are presented using selected examples to illustrate the principles discussed. The coverage is not intended to be an exhaustive summary of the field or include large quantities of data, but should rather be conceptual, concentrating on the methodological thinking that will allow the non-specialist reader to understand the information presented. Contributions also offer an outlook on potential future developments in the field.

This book focuses on radiation applications in various fields such as industry, environmental conservation, analytical sciences, agriculture, medical diagnosis and therapy, and other areas, from laboratory or research scale to practical or commercial scale. The book targets rather beginning or young professionals in radiation chemistry, processing, biology, and medicine, among others, but also introduces the state of the art of the relevant fields. This volume also helps readers to understand the fundamentals of radiation chemistry, physics, and biology that underlie the miscellaneous applications. Readers will understand, for example, that industry utilizes radiation to fabricate water-absorbent materials or semiconductors and also that cancer patients can be cured through radiation without surgery. These and more facts about radiation applications are made available in this valuable book.

A unique opportunity to learn about the most important developments in environmental applications of ionizing radiation This book makes it easy for scientists and engineers to acquaint themselves with the state of the art in ionizing radiation techniques for pollution control, environmental cleanup, and waste processing. With contributions by more than 100 researchers working in industry, academia, and government, it reports from around the world on the most important recent advances in the field. From the latest refinements in electron beam technology to new techniques for the purification of flue gases, and from radiation recycling of rubber wastes to radiation-induced cleanup of water and wastewater, this valuable resource covers all established and emerging environmental applications of ionizing radiation. The only book available in English to focus exclusively on the subject, Environmental Applications of Ionizing Radiation belongs in the working library of every aspiring or practicing scientist or engineer concerned with environmental pollution. Radiation has long been used in food processing, medical device sterilization, and polymer production, but only recently has it begun to be widely accepted as a valued component in environmental cleanup initiatives. The growing popularity of radiation as a means of neutralizing both natural and synthetic contaminants is due, in great part, to impressive results recently achieved by researchers worldwide using ionizing radiation methods, especially those involving electron beam techniques. Despite these many successes, there continues to be a conspicuous poverty of professional references on the subject. Environmental Applications of Ionizing Radiation fills that gap. Environmental Applications of Ionizing Radiation brings together contributions by more than 100 leading scientists from the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The first English-language text devoted exclusively to this exciting growth area, it affords readers a unique opportunity to acquaint themselves with state-of-the-art applications of ionizing radiation for solving environmental remediation problems. Featuring many fascinating and informative case studies from around the world, it brings scientists and engineers quickly in line with the latest advances in: * Electron beam design * Flue gas treatment using electron beams * Ionizing radiation in pollution control * Irradiation treatment of industrial wastes * Irradiation treatment of soil and biosolids * Irradiation and photocatalytic processes * New and emerging applications of ionizing radiation. Environmental Applications of Ionizing Radiation is a valuable working resource for civil, chemical, and environmental engineers and scientists involved with pollution control, water treatment, and natural and industrial waste treatment. It also belongs on the syllabuses of all graduate-level engineering courses in air and water management.

Since its infancy in the early 1960s, the use of radiation chemistry in commercial and industrial processes has been greeted with equal parts enthusiasm and controversy. Thirty years later, while much has changed in the technology of radiation chemistry, both the enthusiasm and the controversy have remained. Applied Radiation Chemistry takes a long hard look at the entire field of radiation processing: its history, the current state of technology, level of use, controversial applications, and promising developments. The only book of its kind, Applied Radiation Chemistry places as much emphasis on the chemical changes and principles that produce the observable results as it places on the techniques in question. This enables the reader to understand applications in chemical terms, rather than as a series of recipes. Full chapters are devoted to the processing of polymers and the sterilization of medical disposables, two applications currently in use worldwide. There is also an extensive discussion of the controversial subject of radiation treatment of food, including detailed tables of foods approved for irradiation, and a section on identification of irradiated foods. Applied Radiation Chemistry is the ultimate handbook for chemists, food scientists, polymer scientists, environmental scientists, chemical engineers, and others engaged in research on radiation-processing applications. This fully referenced text is also an ideal textbook for graduate-level courses in radiation applications because it gives basic information on the processes, covers radiation dosimetry, and introduces students to a wide range of actual and potential applications.

Numerous sources of ionizing radiation can lead to human exposure: natural sources, nuclear explosions, nuclear power generation, use of radiation in medical, industrial and research purposes, and radiation emitting consumer products. Before assessing the radiation dose to a population one requires a precise knowledge of the activity of a number of radionuclides. The basis for the assessment of the dose to a population from a release of radioactivity to the environment, the estimation of the potential clinical heath effects due to the dose received and, ultimately, the implementation of countermeasures to protect the population, is the measurement of radioactive contamination in the environment after the release.It is the purpose of this book to present the facts about the presence of radionuclides in the environment, natural and man made. There is no aspect of radioactivity, which has marked the passing century, not mentioned or discussed in this book.

The Technical Applications of Radioactivity, Volume 1 reviews the technical applications of radioactivity, with emphasis on the potentialities of nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry for the peaceful development of industrial productivity. Topics covered range from measurement of radioactivity to the production and chemistry of radio elements, as well as the application of radioactivity in chemical analysis and in the mining, metallurgical, electrical, and engineering industries. Comprised of 13 chapters, this volume first deals with the fundamentals of modern atomic theory, followed by an introduction to the basic facts of radioactivity, the methods used for measuring it, and chemical operations with radioactive substances. Subsequent chapters focus on the use of radioactivity in chemical analysis, hydrology, and water supply, and in industries such as mining and oil production, engineering, and chemical sectors, along with forestry and agriculture. The final chapter looks at precautions in the use of radioactive materials to protect research workers, physicians, and other personnel against the harmful effects of ionizing radiation. This book is written for scientists and scientific or technical workers.

There is a growing urgency for forefront basic research on ionizing radiation-induced chemical reactions, due to the relevance of these reactions in such areas of critical national need as environmental waste management, environmental remediation, nuclear energy production, and medical diagnosis and radiation therapy. Fortunately, the emergence of new theoretical and experimental tools for the study of radiation-induced chemical and physical processes, i.e. Radiation Chemistry, makes future progress quite promising. Nevertheless, a recent decline in he number of young investigators in radiation chemistry, as well as a natural obsolescence of large research facilities in radiation chemistry are serious obstacles to further progress. Understanding radiation-induced processes is of vital significance in such diverse fields as waste remediation in environmental cleanup, radiation processing of polymers and food, medical diagnosis and therapy, catalysis of chemical reactions, environmentally benign synthesis, and nuclear energy production. Radiation chemistry provides for these fields fundamental quantitative data, such as reaction rate coefficients, diffusion coefficients, radiation chemical yields, etc. As well as providing useful quantitative information of technological and medical importance, radiation chemistry is also a valuable tool for solving fundamental problems in chemistry and in material sciences. Exploiting the many facets of radiation chemistry requires a thorough and comprehensive understanding of the underlying chemical and physical processes. An understanding of the structure and dynamics of "tracks" produced by ionizing radiation is a central issue in the field. There is a continuing need to study the ultrafast processes that link the chemistry and physics of radiation-induced phenomena. This is especially true for practically important, but less well understood, nonstandard environments such as interfacial systems, supercritical media, and heterogeneous systems. These various goals necessitate the development and application of complementary programs of experiment and theory, and will involve the use of nonconventional radiation sources and the study of novel homogeneous and heterogeneous chemical systems. There is also a need to upgrade other types of instrumentation used in radiation chemistry in the national laboratories, including high field electron paramagnetic resonance, and modern analytical tools. The development and enhancement of these various tools will allow for a much wider use of the national radiation chemistry facilities.

Researchers and engineers working in nuclear laboratories, nuclear electric plants, and elsewhere in the radiochemical industries need a comprehensive handbook describing all possible radiation-chemistry interactions between irradiation and materials, the preparation of materials under distinct radiation types, the possibility of damage of materials under irradiation, and more. Radiation nanotechnology is still practically an undeveloped field, except for some achievements in the fabrication of metallic nanoparticles under ionizing flows. Radiation Synthesis of Materials and Compounds presents the state of the art of the synthesis of materials, composites, and chemical compounds, and describes methods based on the use of ionizing radiation. It is devoted to the preparation of various types of materials (including nanomaterials) and chemical compounds using ionizing radiation (alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays, x-rays, and neutron, proton, and ion beams). The book presents contributions from leaders in the areas of radiation synthesis of materials and radiation damage, providing thorough and expert information for a wide range of readers, including advanced students, researchers, industrial practitioners, and university educators.

This book gives a progress report on the many and original contributions of radiation chemistry to the fundamental knowledge of the vast domain of chemical reactions and its applications. Radiation chemistry techniques indeed make it possible to elucidate detailed physicochemical mechanisms in inorganic and organic chemistry (including in space) and in biochemistry. Moreover, this comprehension is applied in materials science to precisely control syntheses by radiation, such as radiopolymerisation, radiografting, specific treatment of surfaces (textiles, paintings, inks, etc.), synthesis of complex nanomaterials, degradation of environmental pollutants and radioresistance of materials for nuclear reactors. In life sciences, the study of the effects of radiation on biomacromolecules (DNA, proteins, lipids) not only permits the comprehension of normal or pathological biological mechanisms, but also the improvement of our health. In particular, many advances in cancer radiotherapy, in the radioprotection of nuclear workers and the general population, as well as in the treatment of diseases and the radiosterilization of drugs, could be obtained thanks to this research. Abundantly illustrated and written in English by top international specialists who have taken care to render the subjects accessible, this work will greatly interest those curious about a scientific field that is new to them and students attracted by the original and multidisciplinary aspects of the field. At a time when radiation chemistry research is experiencing spectacular development in numerous countries, this book will attract many newcomers to the field.

Ionizing Radiation Technologies An authoritative overview of major advances in the application of ionizing radiation technologies to industrial, agricultural, and municipal waste products In Ionizing Radiation Technologies: Managing and Extracting Value from Wastes, a team of expert researchers delivers a broad overview of the value trapped in waste streams and how a strategic application of ionizing radiation technologies can be valuable from both an environmental and an economic perspective. A valuable addition to the discussions around sustainability and green technologies, the book introduces ionizing radiation technologies, including gamma (cobalt-60) irradiation and high and low energy electron beam technologies. The contributions included explore the major advances taking place in the application of ionizing radiation technologies to derive high value end-products from agricultural, municipal, and industrial wastes. Each chapter reviews original research and data and considers likely future directions in research and development. The book also includes: A thorough introduction to the application of ionizing radiation technologies to agricultural waste, including the production of activated carbon Comprehensive explorations of the application of ionizing radiation technologies to municipal waste, including municipal solid wastes and recycling wastewater Practical discussions of the application of ionizing radiation technologies to industrial waste, including textile wastewater management and polymer recycling In-depth examinations of the economics of waste valorization, including several case studies of businesses involved in waste valorization Perfect for consulting engineers and industry professionals involved in waste management and mitigation, Ionizing Radiation Technologies will also earn a place in the libraries of professionals at government agencies, international food organizations, and NGOs focused on waste management, environment sustainability, and urban planning.