Investigation of red clay and waste glass composite bricks for ionizing radiation shielding

Ionizing radiation is valuable for healthcare, industry, and agriculture. However, excessive exposure to ionizing radiation is detrimental to humans and the environment. Radiation protection aims at protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation. This work aimed to study the effectiveness of composites of red clay and waste glass for ionizing radiation shielding. Five samples of different mix ratios of red clay to waste glass were fabricated into different dimensions using hand molding, dried, and burnt. The samples were characterized for ionizing radiation shielding. Monte-Carlo simulation was done using the GEANT4 toolkit and web-based NIST-XCOM photon attenuation database. The findings show that the measured half value layer (HVL) for the composite bricks showed a linear decrease from (6.13$$ 0.10) cm for the CNT sample that had 0 % waste glass to (4.62$$ 0.12) cm for the RCG11 sample that had 50 % waste glass. The GEANT4 simulated HVL values for CNT and RCG11 samples were (6.05±0.01) cm and (4.79±0.01) cm respectively. The NIST-XCOM values were (6.09±0.09) cm and (4.81± 0.01) cm for CNT and RCG11 respectively. The measured and simulated results were in good agreement. The findings of this study indicate an improvement in the shielding properties of red clay with the addition of waste glass and will promote radiation safety by providing an environmentally friendly alternative shielding material.•Proper shielding is key in promoting radiation safety and protection. There is a need for alternative shielding materials that can be used for walling during the construction of structures that house radioactive materials.•Red clay and waste glass composite bricks can provide alternative ionizing radiation shielding material.•This study will promote environmentally friendly practices in radiation safety and protection.