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Recycling of steelmaking slags has well-established applications, such as their use in cement, asphalt, or fertilizer industries. Although in some cases, such as the electric arc furnace (EAF) high-alloyed stainless-steel production, the slag’s high metal content prevents its use in such applications. This forces companies to accumulate it as waste. Using concepts such dematerialization, waste management, industrial symbiosis, and circular economy, the article drafts a conceptual framework on the best route to solving the landfilling issue, aiming at a zero-waste process re-design. An experimental part follows, with an investigation of the use of landfill slag as a substitute of limestone for the neutralization of acidic wastewater, produced by the rinsing of steel after the pickling process. Neutralization of acidic wastewater with both lime and slag samples was performed with two different methods. Two out of four slag samples tested proved their possible use, reaching desired pH values compared to lime neutralizations. Moreover, the clean waters resulting from the neutralizations with the use of both lime and slag were tested. In terms of hazardous element concentrations, neutralization with slag yielded similar results to lime. The results of these trials show that slag is a potential substitute of lime for the neutralization of acidic wastewater.

The effects of rotation speed, steel temperature and steel composition on the rate of dissolution of MgO-C refractory into Al deoxidised molten steel were investigated using the rotating cylinder method. Cylinders or rods of MgO-C refractory material were immersed in an Al deoxidised molten steel. Experiments were performed for steel temperatures between 1873 and 1973 K and rotation speeds between 100 and 800 rev min 21 as well as for different immersion times. For each case, the dissolution rate of MgO-C material was determined from measurement of the decrease in the rod radius. The experimental results showed that the dissolution rate of the MgO-C refractory material increased with an increase in steel temperature and rotation speed. The findings strongly suggest the diffusion of magnesium through the slag layer formed around the refractory rods to be a rate determining step. This thin oxide layer at the steel/refractory interface was found to be owing to reaction between magnesium vapour and CO generated by the reaction between MgO and C in the refractory. Oxide inclusions were also found in the steel melt and they were shown to mainly consist of MgO and Al 2 O 3 or a mixture of the two.

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The dissolution of three doloma based refractories in liquid CaO-Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 -MgO slag was studied. Cylindrical refractory specimens of doloma, carbon bonded doloma, and magnesia doloma were rotated in a stationary crucible of molten slag under forced convection conditions. Slag composition, temperature, rod rotation speed and rod immersion time were varied. The refractory dissolution rate was determined from the change in diameter of the cylindrical specimens. The corrosion rate was found to increase with temperature and rod rotation speed and decrease when the slag was nearly saturated with MgO. The findings of the study substantiate the assumption that the diffusion of magnesium oxide through the slag boundary layer controls the corrosion process. The results indicated the overall corrosion process to be the dissolution of refractory material into the slag, followed by slag penetration of the pores and grain boundaries and finally, dispersion of the grains into the slag.