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Because of incomplete recycling resource management and technology development, inorganic sludge and slag has been misused in Taiwan. The recycling of inorganic sludge and slag is a pressing crisis. Resource materials with a sustainable use value are misplaced and have a significant impact on society and the environment, which greatly reduces industrial competitiveness. To solve the dilemma of EAF oxidizing slag recycled from the steel-making process, it is important to find solutions to improve the stability of EAF oxidizing slags based on the innovative thinking of the circular economy. We can improve the value of recycling resources and solve the contradiction between economic development and environmental impact. The project team intends to investigate the development and application of reclaiming EAF oxidizing slags blended with fire-retardant materials, which will integrate R&D work from four different aspects. First, a verification mechanism is carried out to establish stainless steel furnace materials. Suppliers must be assisted in conducting quality management for EAF oxidizing slags to ensure the quality of the materials provided. Next, high-value building materials must be developed using slag stabilization technology, and fire-retardant tests must be conducted on the recycled building materials. A comprehensive evaluation and verification of the recycled building materials must be undertaken, and high-value green building materials must be produced with fire-retardant and sound-proofing characteristics. Integration with national standards and regulations can drive the market integration of high-value building materials and the industrial chain. On the other hand, the applicability of existing regulations to facilitate the legal use of EAF oxidizing slags will be explored.

In recent years, cases of the improper utilization of steel furnace slag have been widely reported, resulting in a crisis of nowhere for recycled resources such as inorganic slag. The misplacement of resource materials that originally had sustainable-use value not only has a great impact on society and the environment but also greatly reduces industrial competitiveness. To solve the dilemma of steel furnace-slag reuse, it is critical to find solutions to the stabilization of steelmaking slag under the innovative thinking of the circular economy. In addition to enhancing the reuse value of recycled resources, the balance between economic development and environmental impact is also crucial. The high-performance building material could provide a solution based on a high-value market. With the development of society and the increasing requirements for quality of life, the requirements for the soundproof and fireproof performance of lightweight decorative panels common in cities have gradually become popular. Therefore, the high performance of fire retardant and soundproofing could be the main development focus of high-value building materials to ensure circular economic feasibility. This study continues the research results of the application of inorganic re-cycled engineering materials in recent years, and the application of electric-arc furnace (EAF)-reducing slag to the development of base materials for reinforced cement boards, in order to complete the development of high-value panels with fireproof and sound-insulation properties in line with the engineering characteristics of the boards. The research results showed the optimization of the proportions of the cement boards with EAF-reducing slag as a raw material. The proportions of EAF-reducing slag to fly ash at ratios of 70:30 and 60:40 all met the requirements of ISO 5660-1 Class I flame resistance; the sound transmission loss in the overall frequency band can reach more than 30 dB, which is higher by 3–8 dB or more than the same board with similar specifications (such as 12 mm gypsum board) in the present building-materials market The products could be developed into building partitions and ceiling decoration boards with high performance in terms of fire retardant and soundproofing values, and also reduce the use of natural raw materials by more than 35%. The results of this study could meet environmental compatibility targets and contribute towards greener buildings. This model of circular economics would achieve energy reduction, emissions reductions, and be environmentally friendly.

Sewage sludge is a usual waste from urban areas that can be utilized in many renewable energy sources. In this study, we examine the sewage sludge utilization using pyrolysis process to produce pyrolytic oil using Taguchi methods, combustion characteristic of sludge pyrolytic oil (SPO) blend with heavy fuel oil (HFO), and co-gasification of sewage sludge with CO2/steam as the gasification medium using Taguchi methods. The best-operating conditions for the pyrolysis of sewage sludge are a heating rate of 10oC/min, temperature of 450oC, the residence time of 60 min, and N2 flow rate of 700 mL/min. Under these conditions, the obtained pyrolytic oil yield is very close to the result from the Taguchi method calculation. In the combustion characteristic of sludge pyrolytic oil (SPO) blend with heavy fuel oil (HFO), a higher SPO in the fuel blend enhances the occurrence of micro-explosion and reduces the size of the residual. Higher SPO content in the fuel blend increases the combustion rate and increases the ignition delay due to moisture evaporation. In the co-gasification of sewage sludge and palm kernel shell optimization using Taguchi method, the best operational condition for maximum H2/ CO syngas ratio reaches at the gasification temperature of 900 C, a blending ratio of 30%, a CO2/(CO2+H2O) ratio of 70%, and a catalyst addition of 20% bed material mass. The best operating condition for maximum concentration of H2 reach with gasification temperature of 800 C, a blending ratio of 40%, a CO2/(CO2+H2O) ratio of 70%, and a 15% catalyst addition of bed material mass. The CO2/(CO2+H2O) ratio is the most important parameter among both case.

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