• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.216-222
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• 2015

Facilities processing raw materials containing naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) may give rise to enhanced radiation dose to workers due to chronic inhalation of airborne particulates. Internal radiation dose due to particulate inhalation varies depending on particulate properties, including size, shape, density, and absorption type. The objective of the present study was to assess inhalation dose sensitivity to physicochemical properties of airborne particulates. Committed effective doses to workers resulting from inhalation of airborne particulates were calculated based on International Commission on Radiological Protection 66 human respiratory tract model. Inhalation dose generally increased with decreasing particulate size. Committed effective doses due to inhalation of $0.01{\mu}m$ sized particulates were higher than doses due to $100{\mu}m$ sized particulates by factors of about 100 and 50 for $^{238}U$ and $^{230}Th$, respectively. Inhalation dose increased with decreasing shape factor. Shape factors of 1 and 2 resulted in dose difference by about 18 %. Inhalation dose increased with particulate mass density. Particulate mass densities of $11g{\cdot}cm^{-3}$ and $0.7g{\cdot}cm^{-3}$ resulted in dose difference by about 60 %. For $^{238}U$, inhalation doses were higher for absorption type of S, M, and F in that sequence. Committed effective dose for absorption type S of $^{238}U$ was about 9 times higher than dose for absorption F. For $^{230}Th$, inhalation doses were higher for absorption type of F, M, and S in that sequence. Committed effective dose for absorption type F of $^{230}Th$ was about 16 times higher than dose for absorption S. Consequently, use of default values for particulate properties without consideration of site specific physiochemical properties may potentially skew radiation dose estimates to unrealistic values up to 1-2 orders of magnitude. For this reason, it is highly recommended to consider site specific working materials and conditions and use the site specific particulate properties to accurately access radiation dose to workers at NORM processing facilities.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.460-465
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• 2019

In this study, the optimization of active materials and the preparation of particulate adsorbents for the application of metal oxide-based adsorbents for the treatment of $H_2S$, an air pollutant and odorant, occurred in various industrial facilities were investigated. The adsorbents were prepared by using $TiO_2$, which has a high physicochemical stability and relatively high specific surface area among metal oxides and also by different kinds and contents of active materials. The correlation between the physicochemical property and adsorption performance of the adsorbents confirmed that the adsorbent containing KI, which is a typical alkali metal among the active metals, showed the highest adsorption performance. The relationship between the contents and the adsorption performance was non-proportional, but a volcano plot. From XRD, SEM and BET analyses, it was confirmed that the active material was exposed to the surface above a certain amount and also the adsorption performance was the best when the specific surface area and pore volume were $40{\sim}100m^2/g$ and $0.1{\sim}0.3cm^3/g$, respectively. For practical application, the adsorbent was granulated or coated on a ceramic support. It was also confirmed that the adsorbent showed high adsorption performance when the adsorbent was coated on the ceramic rather than that of the granulated support.