Environmental advantages of radiation processing

The preliminary work reported here suggests that radiation processing can reduce the energy requirements and harmful emissions associated with three activities. Both the number and amount of volatiles released during radiation curing of matrix materials for advanced composites are less than those released during heat or catalyst curing. Radiation sterilization of biohazardous waste is economically competitive with incineration, and involves disposal in landfills rather than atmospheric releases. Radiation pasteurization of sewage sludge allows unrestricted use of the pasteurized sludge as a fertilizer/soil conditioner, and is favored on economic and environmental grounds. These three examples indicate that, in comparison with alternative processes, radiation processing is more energy efficient and avoids atmospheric emissions