Future prospects of industrial radiation processing

From some basic scientific discoveries more than three decades ago, radiation processing has grown rapidly in two major fields; other potential fields have been less successful. The situation is now changing rapidly as industrialists, possibly impressed by the success in these two fields and the greatly improved availability of powerful radiation sources, are developing new areas of radiation technology. Some of these are outlined in the paper, and extend from solid-state reactions to food technology, biomaterial and environmental improvements. The major needs at present are closer collaboration between industrial technologists who can best appreciate the potential requirements and applications, and radiation scientists who know the possibilities where radiation can meet these needs. Suggestions to improve this collaboration are given. (author)