Evaluation of the Physical, Chemical and Environmental Properties of Ladle Furnace Slag for Their Utilization as Filler in Bituminous Mixtures

Abstract

The construction sector is one of the most demanding sectors for materials that exist today. Therefore, in order to avoid the extraction of new raw materials, it is necessary to use waste. This waste must present a series of physical and chemical characteristics that make it suitable for its employment. Therefore, in this investigation, ladle furnace slag is characterized for use as filler in bituminous mixtures. These slags are produced by the metallurgical industry in large quantities and represent a significant environmental problem. The slags were tested by analyzing their chemical composition and elementary physical properties. At the same time, and in order to evaluate the environmental viability, the environmental affections produced by the treatment of this material for its use as filler were calculated. These environmental results were compared with those obtained by processing of conventional filler. The detailed methodology reflected the chemical and physical feasibility of ladle furnace slags for use as filler, as well as the environmental advantage of processing this waste compared to commercial materials. In this way, the suitability of ladle furnace slags for bituminous mixtures and its feasibility for the creation of more sustainable pavements was assessed.

Research on Sustainable Bituminous Mixture for Permeable Wearing Layers in Road Pavements

“…Ladle Furnace Slag. Due to its physicochemical characteristics, this slag is a candidate for use in the finest fraction of bituminous mixtures, replacing natural materials such as aggregates and filler of mineral origin, or cement [16,17] .…”

An experimental investigation on utilization of ladle refined furnace (LRF) slag in stabilizing clayey soil

“…Exchanging or replacing the soft soil with superior property belonging soil is not always feasible, while stabilization has economic and environmental benefits for reinforcing such soil [ 16 , 17 ]. Besides various conventional methods, with the limited resources available, soft ground improvement inspires researchers to think about the circular economy for reusing industrial byproducts [ [18] , [19] , [20] ].…”

“…Due to the physicochemical properties of LRF slag, it has vast usage in civil engineering applications. LRF slags are being used in masonry mortars [ 30 , [32] , [33] , [34] ], in concrete mortar or as rapid hardening material [ [35] , [36] , [37] , [38] , [39] ], as mineral aggregate in preparing plaster [ 40 ], in paving soil-cement mix for roads [ 33 , 41 ], as liner material in landfill cover [ [42] , [43] , [44] , [45] ], in embankment construction [ 46 ], in production of cement [ 24 , 27 ], as admixtures in ceramic building products or cement composites [ 47 , 48 ], reusing by injecting within the furnace [ 49 , 50 ], recycling itself in several steelmaking stages [ 51 ], in preparing geopolymers [ [52] , [53] , [54] ], as binder supplement in briquettes [ 55 ], as supplementary binder or cementing material [ 18 , 21 , 29 , 34 , [56] , [57] , [58] ], in hydraulic concrete having no or slight load bearing capacity [ 37 ], in preparing precast concrete [ 37 ], in producing hot mix asphalt or asphalt roadway recycling [ 20 , 59 ], as filler material in self-compacting concrete and in bituminous mixtures [ [60] , [61] , [62] , [63] ], inclusion as a construction material in rigid or flexible composites [ 64 ], in replacement of limestone as neutralizing agent in bioleaching processes without any adverse effect on the bioleaching efficacy [ 65 ], as a treating material (mixed with treated residue of spent catalyst) to treat another industrial waste for stabilizing mercury [ 66 ], for removing phosphorus during side stream treatment in asphalt blend as filler and fine aggregates [ 26 ...…”

“…Najm et al [ 38 ] ascertained LRF as a nonhazardous waste having no environmentally significant detrimental elements. Researchers [ 18 , 20 , 75 , 76 ] investigated the leachability of LRF and concluded that LRF possesses no environmental threats regarding leachability, which is encouraging in applying supplementary cementitious material or as aggregates in roadwork applications. The investigators are inspired to reuse these byproducts in various fields to reduce disposal-related problems [ 29 , 33 , 35 ].…”