Developments of E-BEAM applications in Korea and far East Asia

Industrial electron accelerators have been introduced to Asian countries in 1960s, at first for polymer modification, and grown with the economic growth of Asia in 1990s and 2000s. Nowadays over 1,000 electron accelerators are used for industries in this region, and the demand is still growing. Electron accelerators are mainly used for surface treatment, cross-linking and modification of polymeric products those which are closely related with automobile industries. Also the need for sterilization of medical stuff and food pasteurization is growing as the improvement of the quality of life. Understanding the radiation chemical effect has allowed to harness the electron beam for a variety of applications, and the new approaches, such as conversion to X-ray for non-destructive testing, environmental pollution control have wide applicability to all sorts of different problems of human life. (author)