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Abstract The use of natural polymers for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) offers an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic polymers. This study introduces a novel approach by utilizing Beta vulgaris polymer and exploring its modification with Welan gum to enhance rheological performance. The polymers were characterized through SEM, FTIR, XRD, and TGA to assess their structural, thermal, and morphological properties. The study evaluates the effects of concentration, temperature, and salinity on rheological behavior along with core flooding. Beta vulgaris exhibited varying particle sizes with moderate viscosity (10 cP), which decreased by 80% at 55 °C in saline conditions, indicating poor thermal stability. Welan gum, with its rod-like structure, demonstrated superior thermal resistance. The composite blend of Beta vulgaris and Welan gum significantly improved viscosity (30 cP) and flow stability. All polymers followed the Ostwald–de Waele power law, with the composite blend enhancing the flow behavior index and stability by 75% and 10%, respectively. Core flooding experiments confirmed a 60% increase in oil fractional flow with natural polymers and 26% incremental oil recovery with a composite material injection. This study demonstrates the potential of combining Beta vulgaris and Welan gum as a sustainable, efficient solution for EOR, particularly in challenging reservoir conditions. Graphical abstract

The decommissioning of a nuclear power plant generates a large amount of radioactive waste that requires significant disposal costs. Consequently, it is an important factor in assessing decommissioning costs. The most effective approach to minimizing decommissioning waste is rapid classification based on radioactivity levels. However, some nuclear sites do not have their own radiochemical analysis laboratory. Even in Korea, the analysis process does not' occur at the decommissioning site but rather at an external analysis institution to ascertain concentrations. This analysis procedure is time‐consuming and may result in cross‐contamination among radioactive wastes. Therefore, rapid analysis of decommissioning waste can reduce the amount of radioactive waste disposal and ultimately improve the economics. To address these issues, research is ongoing to develop a mobile radiochemistry laboratory. This study evaluated the radiological effects on workers as a basis for the application of mobile facilities on‐site. Worker exposure doses were assessed using computational code, considering the analysis workload in single and continuous processes under both normal and abnormal operations. The preliminary evaluation results from this prestudy confirm regulatory dose limits, and it is anticipated that future studies can be augmented with field data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]