Investigation on spent coffee ground-epoxy resin composite as a sustainable radiation shielding material.

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Title: Investigation on spent coffee ground-epoxy resin composite as a sustainable radiation shielding material.
Authors: Jia Xuan, Tang1 (AUTHOR), Sazali, Muhammad Arif1 (AUTHOR) arifsazali@utm.my, Muhammad Amir, Siti Madiha2 (AUTHOR), Abu Bakar, Asyraf Arif2 (AUTHOR), Ismail, Ahmad Hambali2 (AUTHOR), Sarkawi, Muhammad Syahir1 (AUTHOR), Mohd Ali, Nur Syazwani1 (AUTHOR), Jamaluddin, Khairulnadzmi1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Applied Radiation & Isotopes. Sep2026, Vol. 235, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
Subjects: Radiation shielding, Neutron capture, Coffee grounds, Biodegradable materials, Gamma rays, Filler materials, Epoxy resins, Mechanical behavior of materials
Abstract: Growing interest in bio-based fillers offers a sustainable alternative to toxic, heavy metal-based radiation shielding. However, biomass often compromises mechanical integrity, limiting practical structural applications. This study investigates the mechanical and radiation shielding properties of epoxy resin composites reinforced with spent coffee grounds (SCG). The influence of SCG content (0, 10, 20, and 30 wt%) on tensile, flexural, and impact strength was evaluated, alongside neutron and gamma attenuation. Composite samples were fabricated using a fixed epoxy-hardener ratio and tested for mechanical properties following ASTM standards. Neutron and gamma shielding performance was evaluated using a241Am-Be neutron source and a137Cs gamma source, respectively. FIB-SEM was used to assess the internal morphology, while EDX mapping provided elemental analysis. Results showed that increasing SCG content led to a decline in mechanical properties: tensile strength decreased from 27.0 MPa to 12.0 MPa, flexural strength from 62.4 MPa to 38.0 MPa, impact strength from 3.4 kJ/m2 to 2.2 kJ/m2 due to particle agglomeration, void formation, and weak interfacial bonding. However, neutron shielding efficiency improved with higher SCG loadings, with the macroscopic removal cross-section rising from 0.1752 cm−1 to 0.1878 cm−1 due to high carbon and hydrogen content in SCG that enhances neutron moderation and scattering. Gamma attenuation varied minimally across all formulations, with linear attenuation coefficients ranging from 0.0832 cm−1 to 0.0987 cm−1. Calculated Half-Value Layer (HVL) results ranged from 3.69 to 3.96 cm for neutrons and 7.02–8.33 cm for gamma rays. Notably, 10 wt% SCG delivers the optimal balance between gamma-ray attenuation effectiveness and mechanical structural integrity, making it the most suitable formulation for practical low-dose radiation shielding applications. This study demonstrates that spent coffee grounds can serve as a promising sustainable filler in radiation shielding composites, particularly for neutron attenuation. • Spent coffee grounds (SCG) were used as a sustainable filler in epoxy composites. • Neutron shielding performance improved with SCG content while gamma shielding showed no change. • Mechanical properties declined with increasing SCG due to poor dispersion and interfacial bonding. • 10 wt% provided the best balance between structural integrity and radiation shielding effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Applied Radiation & Isotopes is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Investigation on spent coffee ground-epoxy resin composite as a sustainable radiation shielding material.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jia+Xuan%2C+Tang%22">Jia Xuan, Tang</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sazali%2C+Muhammad+Arif%22">Sazali, Muhammad Arif</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> arifsazali@utm.my</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Muhammad+Amir%2C+Siti+Madiha%22">Muhammad Amir, Siti Madiha</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Abu+Bakar%2C+Asyraf+Arif%22">Abu Bakar, Asyraf Arif</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ismail%2C+Ahmad+Hambali%22">Ismail, Ahmad Hambali</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sarkawi%2C+Muhammad+Syahir%22">Sarkawi, Muhammad Syahir</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mohd+Ali%2C+Nur+Syazwani%22">Mohd Ali, Nur Syazwani</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jamaluddin%2C+Khairulnadzmi%22">Jamaluddin, Khairulnadzmi</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Applied+Radiation+%26+Isotopes%22">Applied Radiation & Isotopes</searchLink>. Sep2026, Vol. 235, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Radiation+shielding%22">Radiation shielding</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Neutron+capture%22">Neutron capture</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Coffee+grounds%22">Coffee grounds</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Biodegradable+materials%22">Biodegradable materials</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gamma+rays%22">Gamma rays</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Filler+materials%22">Filler materials</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Epoxy+resins%22">Epoxy resins</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mechanical+behavior+of+materials%22">Mechanical behavior of materials</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Growing interest in bio-based fillers offers a sustainable alternative to toxic, heavy metal-based radiation shielding. However, biomass often compromises mechanical integrity, limiting practical structural applications. This study investigates the mechanical and radiation shielding properties of epoxy resin composites reinforced with spent coffee grounds (SCG). The influence of SCG content (0, 10, 20, and 30 wt%) on tensile, flexural, and impact strength was evaluated, alongside neutron and gamma attenuation. Composite samples were fabricated using a fixed epoxy-hardener ratio and tested for mechanical properties following ASTM standards. Neutron and gamma shielding performance was evaluated using a241Am-Be neutron source and a137Cs gamma source, respectively. FIB-SEM was used to assess the internal morphology, while EDX mapping provided elemental analysis. Results showed that increasing SCG content led to a decline in mechanical properties: tensile strength decreased from 27.0 MPa to 12.0 MPa, flexural strength from 62.4 MPa to 38.0 MPa, impact strength from 3.4 kJ/m2 to 2.2 kJ/m2 due to particle agglomeration, void formation, and weak interfacial bonding. However, neutron shielding efficiency improved with higher SCG loadings, with the macroscopic removal cross-section rising from 0.1752 cm−1 to 0.1878 cm−1 due to high carbon and hydrogen content in SCG that enhances neutron moderation and scattering. Gamma attenuation varied minimally across all formulations, with linear attenuation coefficients ranging from 0.0832 cm−1 to 0.0987 cm−1. Calculated Half-Value Layer (HVL) results ranged from 3.69 to 3.96 cm for neutrons and 7.02–8.33 cm for gamma rays. Notably, 10 wt% SCG delivers the optimal balance between gamma-ray attenuation effectiveness and mechanical structural integrity, making it the most suitable formulation for practical low-dose radiation shielding applications. This study demonstrates that spent coffee grounds can serve as a promising sustainable filler in radiation shielding composites, particularly for neutron attenuation. • Spent coffee grounds (SCG) were used as a sustainable filler in epoxy composites. • Neutron shielding performance improved with SCG content while gamma shielding showed no change. • Mechanical properties declined with increasing SCG due to poor dispersion and interfacial bonding. • 10 wt% provided the best balance between structural integrity and radiation shielding effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Applied Radiation & Isotopes is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2026.112692
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 1
        StartPage: N.PAG
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Radiation shielding
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Neutron capture
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Coffee grounds
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Biodegradable materials
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Gamma rays
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Filler materials
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Epoxy resins
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mechanical behavior of materials
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Investigation on spent coffee ground-epoxy resin composite as a sustainable radiation shielding material.
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            NameFull: Jia Xuan, Tang
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            NameFull: Sazali, Muhammad Arif
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            NameFull: Muhammad Amir, Siti Madiha
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            NameFull: Abu Bakar, Asyraf Arif
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            NameFull: Ismail, Ahmad Hambali
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            NameFull: Sarkawi, Muhammad Syahir
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            – D: 01
              M: 09
              Text: Sep2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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              Value: 09698043
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              Value: 235
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            – TitleFull: Applied Radiation & Isotopes
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