Reuse and Recycling of By-Products in the Steel Sector: Recent Achievements Paving the Way to Circular Economy and Industrial Symbiosis in Europe

Branca, Teresa Annunziata; Colla, Valentina; Algermissen, David; Granbom, Hanna; Martini, Umberto; Morillon, Agnieszka; Pietruck, Roland; Rosendahl, Sara

doi:10.3390/met10030345

Cited by 160 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Steel slag is an industrial by-product that is generated during steelmaking operations [1][2][3][4]. This material represents a significant potential economic resource due to its high content in strategic metals (SMs).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New EAF Slag Characterization Methodology for Strategic Metal Recovery

et al. 2021

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The grown demand of current and future development of new technologies for high added value and strategic metals, such as molybdenum, vanadium, and chromium, and facing to the depletion of basic primary resources of these metals, the metal extraction and recovery from industrial by-products and wastes is a promising choice. Slag from the steelmaking sector contains a significant amount of metals; therefore, it must be considered to be an abundant secondary resource for several strategic materials, especially chromium. In this work, the generated slag from electric arc furnace (EAF) provided by the French steel industry was characterized by using multitude analytical techniques in order to determine the physico-chemical characteristics of the targeted slag. The revealed main crystallized phases are larnite (Ca2SiO4), magnetite (Fe3O4), srebrodolskite (Ca2Fe2O5), wüstite (FeO), maghemite (Fe2.6O3), hematite (Fe2O3), chromite [(Fe,Mg)Cr2O4], and quartz (SiO2). The collected slag sample contains about 34.1% iron (48.5% Fe2O3) and 3.5% chromium, whilst the vanadium contents is around 1500 ppm. The Mössbauer spectroscopy suggested that the non-magnetic fraction represents 42 wt% of the slag, while the remainder (58 wt%) is composed of magnetic components. The thermal treatment of steel slag up to 900 °C indicated that this solid is almost stable and few contained phases change their structures.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New EAF Slag Characterization Methodology for Strategic Metal Recovery

et al. 2021

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“…Post-production waste materials containing iron oxides and other valuable elements are recycled by being added directly to the metal bath, either by granulating or briquetting, as well as being entered as additional ferrous material in the furnace charge. Metallurgical waste materials can be an alternative to conventional raw materials for construction, cement, and road construction industries [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. For economic reasons, metallurgical plants strive to recycle these materials [ 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research on Reduction of Selected Iron-Bearing Waste Materials

et al. 2021

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During the steel production process, nearly twice as many input materials are used as compared to finished products. This creates a large amount of post-production waste, including slag, dust, and sludge. New iron production technologies enable the reuse and recycling of metallurgical waste. This paper presents an investigation on the reduction of selected iron-bearing waste materials in a laboratory rotary furnace. Iron-bearing waste materials in the form of dust, scale, and sludge were obtained from several Polish metallurgical plants as research material. A chemical analysis made it possible to select samples with sufficiently high iron content for testing. The assumed iron content limit in waste materials was 40 wt.% Fe. A sieve analysis of the samples used in the subsequent stages of the research was also performed. The tests carried out with the use of a CO as a reducer, at a temperature of 1000 °C, allowed to obtain high levels of metallization of the samples for scale 91.6%, dust 66.9%, and sludge 97.3%. These results indicate that in the case of sludge and scale, the degree of metallization meets the requirements for charge materials used in both blast furnace (BF) and electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking processes, while in the case of reduced dust, this material can be used as enriched charge in the blast furnace process. Reduction studies were also carried out using a gas mixture of CO and H2 (50 vol.% CO + 50 vol.% H2). The introduction of hydrogen as a reducing agent in reduction processes meets the urgent need of reducing CO2 emissions. The obtained results confirm the great importance and influence of the selection of the right amount of reducer on the achievement of a high degree of metallization and that these materials can be a valuable source of metallic charge for blast furnace and steelmaking processes. At an earlier stage of the established research program, experiments of the iron oxides reduction from iron-bearing waste materials in a stationary layer in a Tammann furnace were also conducted.

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“…Since the consumption of natural aggregates is very high, 3000 million tons of natural aggregates are consumed every year in the European Union alone [2], it is crucial to look for alternative materials that can replace them and reduce the great environmental impact caused by their extraction [3]. These alternative materials can be wastes and industrial by-products [4]. In this way, it is possible not only to reduce the over-exploitation of quarries and gravel pits, but also the deposit of waste in landfills [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary Validation of Steel Slag-Aggregate Concrete for Rigid Pavements: A Full-Scale Study

et al. 2021

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The high wear resistance and toughness of electric arc furnace slag (EAFS) means that this industrial by-product can successfully replace natural aggregate in hydraulic or bituminous concretes that withstand vehicle traffic. This article validates the use of concrete made with large amounts of EAFS for rigid pavements. Accordingly, three EAFS–concrete mixes made with metallic or synthetic fibers were designed. Their performance was studied through laboratory tests (compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, splitting tensile strength, and abrasion resistance) and field observations on full-scale slabs made with each of the studied mixes. All mechanical properties yielded adequate results for concrete for rigid pavements. The metallic fibers increased the strength and elastic stiffness by 7–10%, while the addition of synthetic fibers slowed the development of these properties over time. On the other hand, all the mixes allowed for a successful implementation of full-scale slabs, with none of them showing excessive deterioration after five years of exposure to the outdoor environment. Only minor cracking and some chips in the surface-treatment layer were detected. The strength development of the slabs and their slipperiness were adequate for use in high-speed pavements. The overall analysis of the results shows that concrete made with EAFS can be used in real rigid pavements.

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Reuse and Recycling of By-Products in the Steel Sector: Recent Achievements Paving the Way to Circular Economy and Industrial Symbiosis in Europe

Cited by 160 publications

References 64 publications

New EAF Slag Characterization Methodology for Strategic Metal Recovery

New EAF Slag Characterization Methodology for Strategic Metal Recovery

Research on Reduction of Selected Iron-Bearing Waste Materials

Preliminary Validation of Steel Slag-Aggregate Concrete for Rigid Pavements: A Full-Scale Study

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