Life Cycle Assessment of Barite- and Magnetite-Based Self-Compacting Concrete Composites for Radiation Shielding Applications

The growing demand for radiation-shielded infrastructure highlights the need for materials that balance shielding performance with environmental and economic sustainability. Heavyweight self-compacting concretes (HWSCC), commonly produced with barite (BaSO4) or magnetite (Fe3O4) aggregates, lack systematic life cycle comparisons. The aim of this study is to systematically compare barite- and magnetite-based HWSCC in terms of life cycle environmental impacts, life cycle cost, functional performance (strength and shielding), and end-of-life circularity, in order to identify the more sustainable and cost-effective material for radiation shielding infrastructure. This study applies cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost analysis (LCC), in accordance with ISO 14040/14044 and ISO 15686-5, to evaluate barite- and magnetite-based HWSCC. Results show that magnetite concrete reduces global warming potential by 19% eutrophication by 24%, and fossil resource depletion by 23%, while lowering life cycle costs by ~23%. Both concretes achieve comparable compressive strength (~48 MPa) and shielding efficiency (µ ≈ 0.28–0.30 cm−1), meeting NCRP 147 and IAEA SRS-47 standards. These findings demonstrate that magnetite-based HWSCC offers a more sustainable, cost-effective, and ethically sourced alternative for radiation shielding in healthcare, nuclear, and industrial applications. In addition, the scientific significance of this work lies in establishing a transferable methodological framework that combines LCA, LCC, and performance-normalized indicators. This enables scientists and practitioners worldwide to benchmark heavyweight concretes consistently and to adapt sustainability-informed material choices to their own regional contexts.