title: Radiological restrictions of using red mud as building material additive.
abstract: Red mud remains as residue from the processing of bauxite using different methods. The chemical composition of red mud varies widely with respect to the types of bauxite ore and processing parameters. Red mud samples from Guizhou, China, were investigated using a X-ray fluorescence spectroscope, a quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer and a electron probe micro-analyzer. The results showed that red mud consisted of eight main chemical components--CaO, Al(2)O(3), SiO(2), Fe(2)O(3), TiO(2), Na(2)O, K(2)O and MgO--and dozens of trace elements, including natural radioactive elements, such as uranium and thorium. Gamma spectrometric analysis showed that the values of internal exposure index I (Ra) and external exposure index I (γ) of Guizhou red mud were 1.1-2.4 and 2.3-3.5 respectively. Thus, it should not be used as a main building material indiscriminately. The amount of red mud from Guizhou when it is used for main building materials in China should be less than 28-44%.
authors: Laboratory for Study of the Earth's Interior and Geofluids, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, Guizhou, PR China.
authors: Hannian
authors: H
authors: Gu
authors: Ning
authors: N
authors: Wang
authors: Shirong
authors: S
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D000537:Aluminum Oxide / Q000737:chemistry; D002681:China; D003252:Construction Materials / Q000032:analysis*; D004577:Electron Probe Microanalysis; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008669:Metallurgy; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D013051:Spectrometry, Gamma; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; D000537:Aluminum Oxide