This manuscript reports on the physical properties and optical band gap of five samples of soda lime silicate (SLS) glass combined with zinc oxide (ZnO) that were prepared by a melting and quenching process. To understand the role of ZnO in this glass structure, the density, molar volume and optical band gaps were investigated. The density and absorption spectra in the Ultra-Violet-Visible (UV-Visible) region were recorded at room temperature. The results show that the densities of the glass samples increased as the ZnO weight percentage increased. The molar volume of the glasses shows the same trend as the density: the molar volume increased as the ZnO content increased. The optical band gaps were calculated from the absorption edge, and it was found that the optical band gap decreased from 3.20 to 2.32 eV as the ZnO concentration increased.

We report on a recycling project in which α-Al₂O₃ was produced from aluminum cans because no such work has been reported in literature. Heated aluminum cans were mixed with 8.0 M of H₂SO₄ solution to form an Al₂(SO₄)₃ solution. The Al₂(SO₄)₃ salt was contained in a white semi-liquid solution with excess H₂SO₄; some unreacted aluminum pieces were also present. The solution was filtered and mixed with ethanol in a ratio of 2:3, to form a white solid of Al₂(SO₄)₃·18H₂O. The Al₂(SO₄)₃·18H₂O was calcined in an electrical furnace for 3 h at temperatures of 400–1400 °C. The heating and cooling rates were 10 °C /min. XRD was used to investigate the phase changes at different temperatures and XRF was used to determine the elemental composition in the alumina produced. A series of different alumina compositions, made by repeated dehydration and desulfonation of the Al₂(SO₄)₃·18H₂O, is reported. All transitional alumina phases produced at low temperatures were converted to α-Al₂O₃ at high temperatures. The X-ray diffraction results indicated that the α-Al₂O₃ phase was realized when the calcination temperature was at 1200 °C or higher.

The present investigation has been performed on different bricks for the purpose of gamma-ray shielding. The values of the mass attenuation coefficient (µ/Ï), energy absorption buildup factor (EABF) and exposure buildup factor (EBF) were determined and utilized to assess the shielding effectiveness of the bricks under investigation. The mass attenuation coefficients of the selected bricks were calculated theoretically using WinXcom program and compared with MCNPX code. Good agreement between WinXcom and MCNPX results was observed. Furthermore, the EABF and EBF have been discussed as functions of the incident photon energy and penetration depth. It has been found that the EABF and EBF values are very large in the intermediate energy region. The steel slag showed good shielding properties, consequently, this brick is eco-friendly and feasible compared with other types of bricks used for construction. The results in this work should be useful in the construction of effectual shielding against hazardous gamma-rays. Keywords: Brick, Mass attenuation coefficient, Buildup factor, G-P fitting, Radiation shieldin