Radiation processing using intense isotopic radiation sources

Radiation processing refers to the use of ionising radiation from either isotopic sources or from electron-beam accelerators to initiate chemical or biological changes in materials which are subjected to irradiation. In the field of chemical processing, radiation can be used as an efficient substitute for heat or catalysts and can be used for a wide variety of industrial processes, such as the crosslinking of cable insulations, the vulcanisation of many types of rubber, the manufacture of heat-shrinkable film, tubing and tape, as well as the manufacture of closed-cell polyethylene foam, rubbers and elastomers. Other chemical processes involve polymerisation, grafting, degradation, the manufacture of wood-plastic and concrete-plastic composites and the syntheses of certain chemicals. Besides chemical processing, radiation can also be utilised for the sterilisation of disposable medical equipment and in this respect it is already a well-established industrial process with commercial irradiators operating in many countries of the world. Other very promising applications for radiation processing involve the preservation of food due to radiation's inherent ability to destroy harmful microorganisms, kill insects and eliminate pathogens such as Salmonella an other enteropathogenic bacteria in poultry and animal feeds. Again, irradiation cannot solve all the problems in the food industry but there is no doubt that it can play an important role in providing more and better food. Some of the most well-established as well as the most promising applications of radiation processing will be discussed in greater detail in this presentation