New publication related to societal aspects of Radon and NORM – WP6

written by Nadja Železnik
10. Jan 2023
Categories: Papers

Novel research findings related to societal aspects from the RadoNorm project is published in a recent article in the Journal of Cleaner Production. The research published by Nazanin Love, Robbe Geysmans, Sara Leroi-Werelds, Tanja Perko, Robert Malina and Wouter Schreyers from University Hasselt, University Antwerp and Belgian nuclear research centre titled “Usage of alternative cementitious binders containing naturally occurring radioactive by-products: The industry’s perspective” explores the concerns of experts in the concrete industry regarding the usage of (NORM-containing) industrial by-products, which helps build a bridge between technical aspects of the product and market acceptance.  While prior research has investigated the technical aspects of using NORM-contained by-products in cementitious binders, to date, no attention has been given to non-technical aspects such as perceived risks and concerns of the main stakeholders. This study brings novel insights into these overlooked aspects through a series of semi-structured interviews with concrete industry representatives in Belgium. Through a thematic analysis of the data, we found six themes that represent industry’s concerns regarding the usage of NORM-contained cementitious binders: (1) availability of the by-products, (2) financial factors, (3) quality and performance, (4) common sustainability parameters, (5) customer demand, and (6) acceptance of NORM contained by-products. Regulatory certainty was found to be a key driver in all six themes. The publication is available here.

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