Exploring brine sludge and fly ash waste for making nontoxic radiation shielding materials

The development and use of industrial waste are of significant concern in today's era. This study is primarily concerned with two industrial waste types: brine sludge (a by-product of chlor-alkali industry) and fly ash (a by-product of thermal power plant). As a result of the increased energy demand, there is undoubtedly a significant increase in fly ash and brine sludge production, resulting in several environmental and human hazards. With the massive volume of these wastes and increasing environmental concerns, sustainable solutions are necessary to limit the impact on the environment. By exploiting the by-products of these sectors to generate sophisticated nontoxic radiation shielding rare materials, this study made a significant contribution to sustainable development in the form of structural and nonstructural construction materials. Modern nontoxic radiation shielding materials can guard the surfaces from dangerous radiations emitted by the nuclear furnace, radioactive departments in diagnostic centers, and other sources. This article reviews the current state of utilizing brine sludge and fly ash to develop shielding materials: radiation shielding tiles, radiation shielding panels, and radiation shielding paver blocks. The proposed solution has several technical advantages, including the ability to defend against hazardous radiations from nuclear power plants, the medical/healthcare industry, and aerospace.