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National Slag Association

. . . In the Beginning!
 Established in 1918 to address the huge
volumes of slag being generated by the iron
and steel industry. At that time . . . .
• 40,000,000 tons of pig iron being produced.
• 20,000,000 tons of slag being generated.
 Association adopted the mission to fully
identify new potential applications for this co-
product of the iron and steel industry.

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 National Slag Association
. . . Today!
“SLAG . . . The Material of choice”
 In excess of 20,000,000 tons of slag produced and
marketed annually.
 Member companies work closely together to expand
utilization and develop new applications.
 Over the past 90 years slag has earned a reputation
for long term performance across a wide range of
responsible, environmentally sound applications.
 Through a commitment to safe and productive plant
operations, NSA member companies continue to
demonstrate their dedication to “Safety First”!

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 SLAG . . . A Green Product in
its Own Right !
Environmental

Sustainability
Economic Social
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 SLAG . . . An Industrial Co-Product
of the Iron & Steel Industry

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 SLAG

“A material which tends to be

mischaracterized and
misunderstood!”

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 SLAG: A Proud History of Use for
this Co-Product !
Slag usage in road building dates
back 2000 years ago to Roman road
building.
“Appian Way” in Italy

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 SLAG: A Proud History of Use for
this Co-Product !

As early as 1589, Germany made

cannon balls out of iron slag.

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 SLAG: A Proud History of Use for
this Co-Product !
Perhaps the first introduction of iron
slag to America came with the
pilgrims as slag was used as ship
ballast.

“Mayflower”

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 SLAG: A Proud History of Use for
this Co-Product !

Cast iron slag stones were used for

masonry work in Europe in the 18th
century.

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 SLAG: A Proud History of Use for
this Co-Product !
Slag roads in England go back to
1813.

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 SLAG: A Proud History of Use for
this Co-Product !
First Slag road built in the US in
1830.

 By 1880 cast blocks of slag were in

general use for street paving in both
Europe and America.
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 SLAG: A Proud History of Use for
this Co-Product !
Major early use in America was as
ballast for railroads.

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 SLAG

WHAT IS SLAG . . . . ???

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 SLAG

 AS OLD AS THE SMELTING PROCESS ITSELF!

 Every metallurgical smelting process generates

Slag as a co-product.

 Slags used in construction applications are

primarily co-products of the Iron and Steel
making industry.

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 Types of Slag

 Iron Blast Furnace Slag (BFS)

• Air Cooled
• Granulated
• Pelletized

 Steel Furnace Slag (SFS)

• Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF)
• Electric Arc Furnace (EAF)

 Other Slags
• Foundry
• Cupola
• Ladle Metallurgical Furnace

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 Steel-Making Process

Integrated Mills:
• Blast Furnace Slag (BFS)
• Basic Oxygen Furnace Steel Slag (BOF)

Mini Mills:
•Electric Arc Furnace Steel Slag (EAF)

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 Integrated Mills

Blast Furnace Slag (BFS)

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 BLAST FURNACE SLAG

Blast Furnace Slag is formed when iron ore or iron

pellets, coke and a flux (either limestone or dolomite)
are melted together in a blast furnace. When the
metallurgical smelting process is complete, the lime in
the flux has been chemically combined with the
aluminates and silicates of the ore and coke ash to form
a non-metallic product called blast furnace slag. During
the period of cooling and hardening from its molten
state, BF slag can be cooled in several ways to form any
of several types of BF slag products.

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 Iron Slag Making Process
Through a Blast Furnace

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 Iron Blast Furnace

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 Blast Furnace Slag (BFS)

• Blast Furnace Slag is most often processed by

allowing it to slowly cool by ambient air (Air Cool
Blast Furnace Slag or ABCF), is processed through a
screening and crushing plant, and then processed into
different sizes for use primarily as an aggregate.

• In some instances Blast Furnace Slag may undergo

either an expansive or pelletizing process for use in
different applications.

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 GRANULATED SLAG

Granulated Blast Furnace Slag

(GBFS)

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 GRANULATED BLAST
FURNACE SLAG

Granulated Blast Furnace slag is

produced by being rapidly cooled by
large quantities of water to produce a
sand-like granule with glass-like
properties.

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 Granulated
Blast Furnace Slag
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 GRANULATED BLAST
FURNACE SLAG

 Granulated Blast Furnace Slag Applications:

• Ground to produce Slag Cement.

• Construction Aggregate (lightweight fill)
• Raw material in the manufacture of Portland Cement
• Raw material in the manufacture of glass

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 Steel Slag

Basic Oxygen Furnace Slag (BOF)

Electric Arc Furnace Slag (EAF)

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 STEEL FURNACE SLAG

Steel Furnace Slag is produced in a (BOF) Basic

Oxygen Furnace or an (EAF) Electric Arc Furnace.
Hot iron (BOF) and/or scrap metal (EAF) are the
primary metals to make steel in each process. Lime is
injected to act a fluxing agent. The lime combines with
the silicates, aluminum oxides, magnesium oxides,
manganese oxides and ferrites to form steel furnace
slag, commonly called steel slag. Slag is poured from
the furnace in a molten state. After cooling from its
molten state, steel slag is processed to remove all free
metalilcs and sized into products.

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 Steel Slag Made Through
A Basic Oxygen Furnace

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 Basic Oxygen Furnace

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 Mini Mills

Steel Slag
Electric Arc Furnace Slag (EAF)

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 Process of Steel Slag (EAF)

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 Steel Slag (EAF)

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 Electric Arc Furnace

Electric Arc Furnace

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 STEEL FURNACE SLAG

Steel slag is processed as an air-cooled

material. The free metallics are
magnetically separated and the material
is separated and sized into construction
aggregates, used as an agricultural soil
amendment, as a raw ingredient in
Portland cement production, as an
environmental remediation material and
other uses.

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 Foundry Slag / Cupola Slag

 Slags produced by metal casting

foundries subject to the type of process
being used.
• Cupola Slag (air-cooled or water-quenched)
• Induction Furnace Slag
• Electric Arc Furnace Slag
• Desulphurization Slag

 Properties and chemistries vary widely

due to the type of processing and
materials used.
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 Ladle Metallurgical Furnace Slag

 Slags that are co-products of specialized iron or steel

manufacturing.

 Ferroalloys and Fluxes are added to the ladle to drive

attainment of a particular chemistry.

 Slags possessing specialized chemistries such as high

CaO can be produced.

 Volumes of Slag produced are generally lower than

that typically seen in an iron or steel blast furnace.

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 Other Proven Uses for Slag !

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 Clinker From Steel Making Slags

“A Productivity
and
Environmental
Solution”

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 Steel Industry Cement Industry

Why is Slag of interest to

the Cement Producer . . . ?
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 The Chemistry of Slag is very similar to
the basic materials found in Portland
Cement !
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 SLAG & CEMENT PRODUCTION

 Slag has been proven to be a valuable material

addition in the Cement Production Process

• Can be used as a supplemental raw material addition

to the materials blended as feed and fed into a kiln to
produce cement clinker.

• Can be used as a grinding aid in the cement grinding

and finishing process.

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 SLAG & CEMENT PRODUCTION

CemStar
• Patented Process that uses Steel Slag
and/or ACBF Slag added directly into
the back of a cement kiln during the
pyro-processing (burning) process to
create cement clinker.

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 CemStar
 Increases the Production of Cement
Clinker. (Slag is precalcined !)
 Reduces the consumption of natural
fuels while increasing Productivity.
 Reduces Greenhouse Gases
• CO2
• NOx
• Sox
 Increases the Sustainability of Natural
Aggregate Sources.

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 Steel Furnace Slag

Construction Aggregate
Applications

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 Steel Furnace Slag
 Aggregate Properties:
• Rough, cubicle texture
• Increased toughness & soundness
• No deleterious materials

Rounded Uncrushed Flat & Elongated Cubical Steel Slag

Gravel Limestone

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 Steel Furnace Slag
for
Bituminous Paving
 Steel Slag has evolved as an ideal
aggregate in Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA)
surface mixture applications.
• Superior Skid Resistance
 Improved frictional properties
 Higher coefficient of friction than most natural
aggregates.
• High Shear Strength
 Resistance to rutting

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 Steel Furnace Slag

“Chip and Seal”

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 Steel Furnace Slag
Chip and Seal
1. After the surface has been prepared
by patching, crack filling, etc. a
binder is sprayed from a computer
controlled and calibrated spray
unit.
2. Then a layer of aggregate is applied
using a computer controlled and
calibrated self-propelled chip spreader.

3. The process is completed by

compacting the surface via several
passes from a multi-tired roller.

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 Steel Furnace Slag

Chip and Seal

 Physically, many natural aggregates are unable to
provide a surface that will resist polishing,
therefore, they easily become slippery when wet.

 Steel slag contributes a high coefficient of friction

to the roads surface by providing the roughness
necessary to attain a skid resistant pavement.

 Steel Slag, with its hard, angular, skid resistant

shape, low absorption, and greater asphalt binder
affinity is the most advantageous choice of
aggregate for Chip and Seal applications.

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 Steel Furnace Slag

“Chip and Seal”

Chip and Seal is a cost-effective

method of resurfacing low-
volume roadways in rural areas!

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 ACBF & Steel Furnace Slag
Other Construction Applications

 Unimproved Roadways & Parking Lots

 Driveways
 Shoulders & Berms
 Embankments
 Fill Applications

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 Steel Furnace Slag

Base & Fill Applications

• The chemical composition of some Steel Slag
tends to be expansive and should not be used
where potential expansion would be
detrimental. This is especially true where a
dense graded aggregate is used as a base or fill.

• Depending upon the level of potential expansion

and material gradation, confined applications
such as bases under pavements and structures
may need to be avoided.

• Most Steel Slags however are suitable for use in

applications where expansion will not be an
issue such as in an open-graded fill or road
surface course.
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 Pipe Bedding for Sewer and
Storm Water Pipe

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 Steel Furnace Slag

Pipe Backfill

Leach Field Stone

Septic Stone

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 COMMON USES FOR SLAG
Blast Furnace Slag Steel
Air-Cooled Pelletized Granulated Slag
Asphalt Aggregate Concrete Masonry GGBFS Cement Asphalt Aggregate
Aggregate
Concrete/Masonry Lightweight Soil Cement Fill
Aggregate Concrete
Insulation/Mineral Insulation Roller Compacted Cement Mfg. Raw
Wool Concrete Feed
Cement Mfg. Raw Lightweight Fill Agricultural/Soil Agricultural/Soil
Feed Amendment Amendment
Agriculture/Soil Environmental
Amendment Road Base Applications
Base & Fill Material Railroad Ballast
Roof Aggregate Road Base
Railroad Ballast Gabions/Rip Rap
Glass Manufacture
Environmental
Applications

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 Agricultural Applications
 Substitute for Agricultural
Lime
 Valuable for
Remineralization:
Calcium Iron
Copper Boron
Magnesium Zinc
Manganese
Sulfur
Molybdenum

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 Slag’s use for Environmental Remediation

Water Purification Water Filtration

Permeable
Reactive
Barrier

Phosphorus Erosion Control

61 Removal
 Environmental Remediation

 Water Purification
 Hazardous Chemicals
 Permeable Reactive Barriers
 Acid Remediation
 Acid Mine Drainage
 Phosphorus

 Waste Pollution Remediation

(Constructed Wetlands Technology)
 Manure Pit Effluents
 Barnyard & Feed Lot Effluents
 Milk House Effluents
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 Slag Utilization for Water
Pollution Remediation

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 Slag for Permeable
Reactive Barriers

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 Slag for Permeable Reactive
Barriers

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 SLAG for Acid Mine Drainage

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 National Slag Association Annual
Meeting 2006

Presentation on the utilization of Slag to

reduce Acid Mine Drainage

Jim Gue – Ohio Department of Natural Resources

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 SLAG for Constructed Wetlands
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 Steel Slag

Use of Steel Slag in Constructed

Wetlands Technology to effect
P (Phosphorus) removal.

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 Constructed Wetlands

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 Constructed Wetlands

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 Constructed Wetlands
UKRAINE (Before)

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 Constructed Wetlands
UKRAINE (After)

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 Constructed Wetlands
Africa

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 Constructed Wetlands
Nevada

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 SLAG for Farm and Ranch Runoff

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 Steel Slag

Use of Steel Slag as a filter medium to

treat water runoff from barnyards,
feedlots, and milk house effluent.

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 Steel Slag Potential Use

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 Steel Slag Potential Use

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 Steel Slag Potential Use

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 Steel Slag Potential Use

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 SLAG as a “Green” Material !

 Hundreds of years of use as an industrial

co-product!

 A multitude of applications which

contribute to its capabilities as a “Green
Material”!

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 “The recovery and reuse of slag
conserves tens of millions of tons
per year of other natural
resources”
American Iron and Steel Institute

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 SLAG & the LEED Program!

“SLAG is a recognized industrial

co-product under the LEED
Program!”

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 LEED . . . . What is LEED®?

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy

and Environmental Design.
It is a green building rating system first launched by
the US Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1998. The
USGBC is a not for profit organization made up of
companies and organizations from every sector of
the building industry, who work to promote buildings
that are environmentally responsible, healthy and
profitable.

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 LEED . . . . What is LEED®?

 LEED is a third party certification program

and the nationally accepted benchmark for
the design, construction and operation of
high performance green buildings.

 LEED gives building owners and operators

the tools they need to have an immediate
and measurable impact on their buildings’
performance.

 Establishes a rating system to evaluate green

construction materials and building systems.

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 LEED: Green Building Rating System

 Encourages and accelerates global adoption of

sustainable green building and development
practices through the creation and implementation
of universally understood and accepted tools and
performance criteria.

 Developed by USGBC, LEED is a practical rating tool

for green building design and construction that
provides immediate and measurable results for
building owners and occupants.

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 LEED: Green Building Rating System

 LEED promotes a whole-building approach to

sustainability by recognizing state-of-the-art
strategies for performance in five key areas of human
and environmental health:
• Sustainable site development
• Water savings
• Energy efficiency
• Materials selection
• Indoor environmental quality

 Builders can obtain credits for using materials or

systems which are more energy efficient in
construction, utilize recycled waste materials from
other industries, or result in a more energy efficient
and environmentally sound building.

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 SLAG

“A Green Product in
its own right ! ! ! “

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 SLAG . . . .
A Hot Product with a myriad
of uses and applications! ! ! !

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 SLAG . . . An Industrial Co-Product
of the Iron & Steel Industry

Questions ? ? ? ?

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 CONTACT INFORMATION
John Murphy
• The Edw. C. Levy Company
• Office #: (256) 306-9477
• Fax #: (256) 306-9488
• Cell #: (574) 876-0466
• Email: [email protected]

National Slag Association

• Website: www.nationalslag.org

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 SLAG . . . An Industrial Co-Product
of the Iron & Steel Industry

THANK YOU ! ! ! !

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