Investigation of shielding properties and mechanisms of boron-containing magnesium-rich tailings for nuclear shielding application

Efficient utilization of boron-containing magnesium-rich tailings (BCMRTs) represents a critical challenge for the sustainable development of boron industry. This study introduces an innovative approach to repurpose BCMRTs as shielding materials and systematically investigates their shielding properties and underlying mechanisms against thermal/fast neutrons, and gamma rays. The findings demonstrate that BCMRTs exhibit exceptional thermal neutron attenuation, achieving a shielding efficiency of up to 100 % with merely 1 cm of material, thereby surpassing the performance of certain commercially available shields. However, further optimization is necessary to enhance their efficiency against fast neutrons and gamma rays. Neutron attenuation mechanism is predominantly governed by absorption effect of boron in low-energy range, elements with higher atomic number contribute in middle energy range through elastic scattering, and both elastic and inelastic scattering in high energy range. Gamma ray attenuation mechanism is predominantly governed by elements with high atomic number, with distinct nuclear interactions dominating across various energy ranges. Furthermore, comprehensive attenuation parameters for both narrow-beam and wide-beam gamma rays within the 0.001–100,000 MeV range are presented. This research provides critical insights into the potential application of BCMRTs in the development of advanced shielding materials. • The innovative application of BCMRTs for nuclear shielding has been proposed for the first time. • BCMRTs, with just 1 cm thickness, achieve 100 % shielding efficiency against thermal neutrons. • Shielding performance of BCMRTs outperforming several commercial shields. • Attenuation mechanisms of BCMRTs against neutrons and gamma rays have been identified.