Steel Slag—Its Production, Processing, Characteristics, and Cementitious Properties

Steel slag is a byproduct from either the conversion of iron to steel in a basic oxygen furnace, or the melting of scrap to make steel in an electric arc furnace. This paper reviews the production, processing, and characteristics of steel slag, and its use as a cementing component in different cementing systems. The chemical composition and cooling of molten steel slag have a great effect on the physical and chemical properties of solidified steel slag. Steel slag with high basicity and being cooled properly can exhibit cementing property. Ground steel slag has been used in several different cementing systems. The use of steel slag in these cementing systems results in some advantages over conventional cements. At the moment, most steel slag is being used as unbound aggregate for ashphalt concrete pavement in many countries. However, the use of steel slag as a cementing component should be given a priority from technical, economical, and environmental considerations.