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Article

Life Cycle Assessment of Barite- and Magnetite-Based Self-Compacting Concrete Composites for Radiation Shielding Applications

by
Ajitanshu Vedrtnam
1,2,*,
Kishor Kalauni
1,2,
Shashikant Chaturvedi
1 and
Martin T. Palou
1
1
Institute of Construction and Architecture, Slovak Academy of Science, 84503 Bratislava, Slovakia
2
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Invertis University, Bareilly 243001, UP, India
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Compos. Sci. 2025, 9(10), 542; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs9100542
Submission received: 10 September 2025 / Revised: 25 September 2025 / Accepted: 29 September 2025 / Published: 3 October 2025

Abstract

The growing demand for radiation-shielded infrastructure highlights the need for materials that balance shielding performance with environmental and economic sustainability. Heavyweight self-compacting concretes (HWSCC), commonly produced with barite (BaSO4) or magnetite (Fe3O4) aggregates, lack systematic life cycle comparisons. The aim of this study is to systematically compare barite- and magnetite-based HWSCC in terms of life cycle environmental impacts, life cycle cost, functional performance (strength and shielding), and end-of-life circularity, in order to identify the more sustainable and cost-effective material for radiation shielding infrastructure. This study applies cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost analysis (LCC), in accordance with ISO 14040/14044 and ISO 15686-5, to evaluate barite- and magnetite-based HWSCC. Results show that magnetite concrete reduces global warming potential by 19% eutrophication by 24%, and fossil resource depletion by 23%, while lowering life cycle costs by ~23%. Both concretes achieve comparable compressive strength (~48 MPa) and shielding efficiency (µ ≈ 0.28–0.30 cm−1), meeting NCRP 147 and IAEA SRS-47 standards. These findings demonstrate that magnetite-based HWSCC offers a more sustainable, cost-effective, and ethically sourced alternative for radiation shielding in healthcare, nuclear, and industrial applications. In addition, the scientific significance of this work lies in establishing a transferable methodological framework that combines LCA, LCC, and performance-normalized indicators. This enables scientists and practitioners worldwide to benchmark heavyweight concretes consistently and to adapt sustainability-informed material choices to their own regional contexts.
Keywords: life cycle assessment; self-compacting concrete; magnetite; barite; radiation shielding; sustainability life cycle assessment; self-compacting concrete; magnetite; barite; radiation shielding; sustainability

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MDPI and ACS Style

Vedrtnam, A.; Kalauni, K.; Chaturvedi, S.; Palou, M.T. Life Cycle Assessment of Barite- and Magnetite-Based Self-Compacting Concrete Composites for Radiation Shielding Applications. J. Compos. Sci. 2025, 9, 542. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs9100542

AMA Style

Vedrtnam A, Kalauni K, Chaturvedi S, Palou MT. Life Cycle Assessment of Barite- and Magnetite-Based Self-Compacting Concrete Composites for Radiation Shielding Applications. Journal of Composites Science. 2025; 9(10):542. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs9100542

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vedrtnam, Ajitanshu, Kishor Kalauni, Shashikant Chaturvedi, and Martin T. Palou. 2025. "Life Cycle Assessment of Barite- and Magnetite-Based Self-Compacting Concrete Composites for Radiation Shielding Applications" Journal of Composites Science 9, no. 10: 542. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs9100542

APA Style

Vedrtnam, A., Kalauni, K., Chaturvedi, S., & Palou, M. T. (2025). Life Cycle Assessment of Barite- and Magnetite-Based Self-Compacting Concrete Composites for Radiation Shielding Applications. Journal of Composites Science, 9(10), 542. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs9100542

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