Abstract
The purpose of this work was to assess the radiological safety for the public and the environment of using iron silicate (Fe2SiO4) (copper slag) as fine aggregate in mortars. In this study, a Fe2SiO4 aggregate, which is a by-product of copper extraction by smelting, was used. The iron silicate was radiologically characterized both as an anhydrous material and as part of mortars made with different water/cement and cement/aggregate ratios. The correlation between the particle size of the iron silicate aggregate and gamma-emitting radionuclides belonging to the natural radioactive series of 238U, 235U and 232Th together with 40K was also studied. The results showed that the activity concentration values for Fe2SiO4 were equivalent to the world average values for construction materials. Furthermore, the Fe2SiO4 leaching tests showed that a U and Ra release was produced as a function of the Ca concentration. The activity concentration index (ACI) was less than 1 for all the cases, and no significant variation was observed in the different mortars manufactured.
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