Effects of use of steel slag as a cementitious material in concrete: A review

Steel Slag is a by-product of the steel-making industry, with high siliceous content. Based on their production process, they can be categorized into three categories, basic oxygen furnace (BOF), electric arc furnace (EAF), and ladle furnace (Ld) slag. Steel slag has been repurposed to be used in the construction industry in many forms, and for several purposes, namely, road construction, soil improvement, agricultural fertilizer, and embankment fill material. However, the use of steel slag in concrete and cement has proved to provide the most economical and environmental benefits. Steel slag has been traditionally used as aggregates replacement in concrete as well as a raw material in cement production. While the use of steel slag as cementitious material is newly explored, the findings are promising. It is established that limited use of steel slag (up to ۲۰%) can have a minimal negative effect on concrete properties and potentially improve certain aspects. It is concluded that use of finer steel slag powder can result in a better microstructure hence improving the compressive strength and certain aspects of durability such as carbonation depth and chloride corrosion resistance.

Keywords:

Steel Slag , Concrete , Cement , Hydration , Compressive strength