• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
• /
• 2005.10a
• /
• pp.927-928
• /
• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
• /
• 2005.10a
• /
• pp.805-806
• /
• 2005

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.235-243
• /
• 2010

For decades, traditional mutation breeding technologies using spontaneous mutation, chemicals, or conventional radiation sources have contributed greatly to the improvement of crops and microorganisms of agricultural and industrial importance. However, new mutagens that can generate more diverse mutation spectra with minimal damage to the original organism are always in need. In this regard, ion beam irradiation, including proton-, helium-, and heavier-charged particle irradiation, is considered to be superior to traditional radiation mutagenesis. In particular, it has been suggested that ion beams predominantly produce strand breaks that often lead to mutations, which is not a situation frequently observed in mutagenesis induced by gamma-ray exposure. In this review, we briefly describe the general principles and history of particle accelerators, and then introduce their successful application in ion beam technology for the improvement of crops and microbes. In particular, a 100-MeV proton beam accelerator currently under construction by the Proton Engineering Frontier Project (PEFP) is discussed. The PEFP accelerator will hopefully prompt the utilization of ion beam technology for strain improvement, as well as for use in nuclear physics, medical science, biology, space technology, radiation technology and basic sciences.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2003.08a
• /
• pp.63-63
• /
• 2003

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
• /
• 2005.05a
• /
• pp.1058-1059
• /
• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
• /
• 2005.05a
• /
• pp.1054-1055
• /
• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
• /
• 2003.10a
• /
• pp.245.1-245.1
• /
• 2003

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
• /
• 2003.10a
• /
• pp.245.2-245.2
• /
• 2003

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
• /
• 2005.10a
• /
• pp.881-882
• /
• 2005

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.39 no.6
• /
• pp.747-752
• /
• 2007

The Proton Engineering Frontier Project (PEFP) has designed and developed a proton linear accelerator facility operating at 100 MeV - 20 mA. The radiological effects of such a nuclear facility on the environment are important in terms of radiation safety. This study estimated the production rates of radionuclides in the soil around the accelerator facility using MCNPX. The groundwater migration of the radioisotopes was also calculated using the Concentration Model. Several spallation reactions have occurred due to leaked neutrons, leading to the release of various radionuclides into the soil. The total activity of the induced radionuclides is approximately $2.98{\times}10^{-4}Bq/cm^3$ at the point of saturation. $^{45}Ca$ had the highest production rate with a specific activity of $1.78{\times}10^{-4}Bq/cm^3$ over the course of one year. $^3H$ and $^{22}Na$ are usually considered the most important radioisotopes at nuclear facilities. However, only a small amount of tritium was produced around this facility, as the energy of most neutrons is below the threshold of the predominant reactions for producing tritium: $^{16}O(n,\;X)^3H$ and $^{28}Si(n,X)^3H$ (approximately 20 MeV). The dose level of drinking water from $^{22}Na$ was $1.48{\times}10^{-5}$ pCi/ml/yr, which was less than the annual intake limit in the regulations.