Blast Furnace Slag, Post-Industrial Waste or Valuable Building Materials with Remediation Potential?

Abstract

In recent years, the construction industry has struggled with a variety of issues such as material availability, supply channel management, and the increasing cost of construction materials. These issues have encouraged the search for replacements and substitutes for existing construction materials. Blast Furnace Slag is used in the construction industry as a mineral amendment or aggregate. Their use in Earth Construction, due to their post-industrial origin, may be associated with increased levels of potentially toxic elements (PTE) in the soil. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the immobilization potential of Blast Furnace Slag and to compare it with the addition of Blast Furnace Slag with Activated Carbon using different concentrations of these amendments. We were able to determine the concentrations of selected PTE (zinc, copper, nickel, cadmium and lead) in the soil, roots and aerial parts of Lolium perenne L., using different concentrations of Blast Furnace Slag (3%, 5% and 10%), and Blast Furnace Slag with Activated Carbon (3% and 5%) as soil amendments. Measurements were carried out with Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS). Both the addition of Blast Furnace Slag and Activated Carbon with Slag increased plant biomass. The addition of slag effectively reduced the zinc, copper, cadmium and lead content of the soil, while the addition of Activated Carbon slag significantly increased the content of selected PETs in the roots and aerial parts of plants. It was considered reasonable to use Blast Furnace Slag with the addition of Activated Carbon in supporting the processes of the assisted phytostabilization of PTE polluted soils.

Review on the modifications of natural and industrial waste CaO based sorbent of calcium looping with enhanced CO2 capture capacity

“…It is a non-biodegradable waste material from steel and iron production [ 98 ]. Approximately the production of BFS exceeds several dozen million tonnes (about 25 million) annually [ 99 ] and waste control of the BFS is crucial to reducing environmental pollution. The BFS is calcium, Ca– and silica, Si–rich and is contemplated to be used as CaO-based sorbent.…”

Estimation of the coefficient of permeability as an example of the application of the Random Forest algorithm in Civil Engineering

“…Implementing a circular approach by valorizing waste and transforming it into eco-efficient building materials is an effective path for managing waste previously deposited in landfills. Meanwhile, this attitude offsets the depletion of natural resources and has a positive impact on environmental issues [1][2][3][4]. Generally, in European Union countries, slag is used as a by-product or is end-of-waste.…”

Perspective on the Application of Machine Learning Algorithms for Flow Parameter Estimation in Recycled Concrete Aggregate

“…Recycled aggregates used in earth structures are usually cheaper than natural aggregates, which is important when deciding on the construction process. Reusing construction waste is also an environmentally sustainable solution [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ].…”