A

PROGRESS REPORT

ON

“Effective Utilization of LD slag”

Submitted in the partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree

Of

MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY

In

INDUSTRIAL METALLURGY

By

Arnab Dastidar

(Enrolment No- 16544003)

Under the supervision of

Dr. Nikhil Dhawan

Assistant Professor

DEPARTMENT OF METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS ENGINEERING

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROORKEE

ROORKEE-247667(INDIA)

MAY 2018
 CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION

I hereby certify that the work which is being presented in the dissertation, entitled
“Processing of silicate minerals for its effective utilization” in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in the Department of Metallurgical
and Materials Engineering with specialization in “Industrial Metallurgy”, Indian Institute of
Technology Roorkee, is an authentic record of my own work carried out during the period
from May, 2017 to May 2018, under the supervision of Dr. Nikhil Dhawan, Assistant
Professor, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of
Technology, Roorkee.

The matter embodied in the dissertation has not been submitted to any of the
University/Institute for the award of any other degree.

Date: ………...

Place: Roorkee

(ARNAB DASTIDAR)

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidate is correct to the best of

my knowledge.

(Dr. NIKHIL DHAWAN)

Assistant Professor

Dept. of MMED

IIT Roorkee
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my deep indebtedness, sincere gratitude, respect and heartiest
thanks to my supervisor Dr. NIKHIL DHAWAN (Assistant Professor) Department of
Metallurgical and Material Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee for his
valuable supervision and encouragement throughout the project. I also want to thanks my
family for their moral support. I would also like to show my gratitude to Institute
Instrumentation Center (IIC) for providing me the instrument facilities for smooth
completion of my research work. I would like to thank all research scholars, especially
Ashwini Kumar, Veeranjan Raypudi and Amit Barnwal for their help. I would also like to
thank all my friends for their continuous support during my work. Last but not least, I would
not like give my sincere thanks to everyone who had supported me for their support.
CONTENTS

Sl Topic Page
1 Abstract
2 Introduction 1
2.1 Generation of LD slag 1

2.2 Properties of LD slag 6

2.3. Utilization trends of LD slag in 7
India
3. Literature Review 20
3.1 Problem Statement 21
3.2 Other modes of Utilization of LD 26
slag
4 Experimental Procedure 30
4.1 Materials used 30
4.2 Instruments used 31
4.3 Methodology 36

5 Results & Discussion 39

5.1 Characterization of LD slag 40
5.2 Leaching of LD slag 41
5.3 Carbonation of Acetic Acid 42
Filtrate
5.4 XRD of Pellets of tiles 43
5.5 XRF of pellets of tiles 44
5.6 Water absorbtion rate 45
6. Summary 46
7 References 47
Abstract

India is the fourth-largest manufacturer of steel following China, Japan and the US. Presently
in India, due to limited modes of practices of utilization, huge amount of iron and steel slag
dumped in yards of each production unit leading to grave pollution to whole environment. An
efficient approach to overcome these problems is the slag utilization. Presently in India the
LD slag is only being utilized for cement, concrete, road & sinter making which is not
enough. Therefore in this project an attempt has been made to utilize LD slag for making
ceramic tiles & also for CO2 capture which will serve the dual purpose of reducing air
pollution & producing CaCO3.
INTRODUCTION

S lag is a by-product generated by action of various fluxes upon gangue materials present in
the iron ore during the process of pig iron making in blast furnace and steel manufacturing in
steel melting shop. Generally, the slag consists of various combinations of calcium,
magnesium, manganese and aluminium silicates. The cooling process of slag is responsible
mainly for generating different types of slags required for various end-use consumers. The
cooling process does not alter the chemical composition of slag greatly but physical
properties vary widely with the changing process of cooling.

The slag produced at blast furnace during pig iron manufacturing is called blast furnace slag.
The slag produced at steel melting shop with the help of LD convertor is known as LD slag.
Slag output obtained during pig iron and steel production is variable and depends mainly on
composition of raw materials and type of furnace. Typically, for ore feed containing 60 to
65% iron, blast furnace (BF) slag production ranges from about 300 to 540 kg per tonne of
pig or crude iron produced [1]. Lower grade ores yield much higher slag fractions, sometimes
as high as one tonne of slag per tonne of pig iron produced. Steel slag output is approximately
20% by mass of the crude steel output.

Generation of LD slag

As mentioned earlier LD slag is generated In SMS during crude steel making with the help of
LD convertors. The primary raw materials used hot metal from blast furnace and the scrap.
The scrap proportion in conventional LD convertor is restricted to 20-30% of the total charge

The LD- vessels are eccentric in shape. After the vessel is pre-treated to a white heat, it is
ready to take the charge. The LD section is provided with overhead hot metal charging cranes
for charging the hot metal in the to the converters, semi-portal scrap charging cranes, a gas
cleaning plant to clean the LD gases from dust and to let the clean gas to the atmosphere.
Each converter is having a tilting mechanism, for oxygen lances and the lance lowering and
rising mechanism arrangement, bins to store the raw materials, a scale car to collect the raw
materials from the bins, to weigh and charge them into converters through the chutes
provided in the hood above the converters. The charging starts with the addition of a few
hundred kilogram of calcinated lime or dolomite through the overhead chutes which protect
the lining of the converter. Oxygen of 99.5% purity and at a pressure of 10-12

1|Page
kg/ cm2 is blown into the bath at the rate of 7,000-10,000 Nm3/ hr. Immediately ignition
takes place and preferential oxidation starts. A chemical reaction occurs, where the oxygen
reacts with carbon and silicon generating the heat necessary to melt the scrap and oxidize
impurities. The entire blowing cycle is divided into three phases.

Phase-I: During the initial phase of oxygen blow, the main reactions in the metal phase are
the oxidation of majority of the silicon in the hot metal and a major fraction of manganese.
Iron is also oxidized to the slag with gradual build up of iron oxide. The temperature of slag
during the initial phase is substantially higher than the metal heat. As blowing proceeds, the
temperature gradient decreases. The lime dissolution rate is very high during this period and
the slag phase remains in homogenous liquid range because, the concentration of both has not
crossed into the heterogeneous dicalcium silicate region of the CaO-SiO2 –FeO system. The
de-carbonization rate is very slow at the start of the phase-1 and gradually increases as silicon
is eliminated.

Phase-II: In the start of phase-II, the de-carbonization rate of Iron droplets in the emulsion
begins toincrease and the slag begins to foam. The iron oxide level of slag normally decreases
and the liquid slag cross into precipitation range of dicalciium silicate. During this peak de-
carbonization phase, the maximum slag foaming occurs with the probability of slag flowing
(slopping) from the converter. The decarbonisation rate reaches at the peak and become
primarily dependent on oxygen supply rate. During this stage the lime dissolution rate slows
down and fluorspar or Mn-ore briquetts are helpful in further lime dissolution.

Phase-III: This stage begins when the de-carbonisation rate starts to drop and the foam
begins to collapse due to lower rate of co-generation in the slag metal droplet emulsion.
During further blowing, the composition of slag changes within the heterogeneous range of
dicalcium silicate. The iron oxide level of the slag begins to increase again, and this results in
an increased lime dissolution rate. The slag concentration approaching its final end point is
primarily determined by the amount of lime added. The concentration range of final slag may
lie between the saturation range of dicalcium silicate and that of lime.

2|Page
Some typical reactions taking place in the converter are as follows:

Fe+[O]=FeO

2(FeO)+1/2O2(g)=Fe2O3

[C]+[O]=CO(g)

C+(FeO)=CO(g)+Fe

[Si]+2[O]=SiO2

CaO+SiO2=CaSiO3

[Si]+2(FeO)=SiO2+2Fe

[Mn]+[O]=MnO

[Mn]+(FeO)=MnO+Fe

(MnO)+(SiO2)+1/2O2=MnO2.SiO2

The blowing of oxygen into the furnace is continued for about 20minutes after which the end
point (0.04%) carbon level in the bath is reached which is characterized by the scrap decrease
in length of the flame issuing out of the converter mouth. The converter is tilted and the steel
is first tapped through the tap hole into the ladle kept on the steel transfer car. Then the
converter is fitted to the opposite side and the slag is run off into the slag pots. From the
above, it is understood that the functions of BOF basically are to remove impurities like
silicon, manganese, phosphorous and carbon and to a lesser degree sulphur with the help of
oxygen. The oxidation products involving all elements other than carbon leads to acidic slag
which dissolves the lime added resulting in a basic slag having basicity > 3.0.

3|Page
PROPERTIES OF LD SLAG

The chemical & physical properties of LD slag is summarized in the following tables

Table1: Chemical Composition and Major Phases of Typical LD Slag

Sl Chemical composition Major phases& wt%

1 SiO2-12.16% Tricalcium silicates-0-20%
2 Al2O3-1.22% Dicalcium silicates 30-60%
3 FeO-26.30% Other silicates-0-10%
4 CaO-47.88% Magnesiocalciowustite-15-30%
5 MnO-0.28% Dicalcium aluminoferrite 10-25%
6 MgO-0.82% Lime-0-15%
7 P2O5-3.33% Periclase 0-5%
8 Na2O-0.036% Flourite 0-1%
9 K2O-0.071%

Table 2: Composition of several phases in LD slag

4|Page
 Table 3:- Physical Properties of Indian Steel Slag

Table 4: Characteristics and applications of steel slag[11]

5|Page
UTILIZATION TREND OF LD SLAG IN INDIA

1.Cement Making

With 130 large cement plants in the country and an installed capacity of 160.24 million
tonne, India is the second largest cement producing country. The blast furnace slag in India is
used mainly by the cement manufacturers to produce slag cement. For making one tonne of
cement about 1.5 T lime stone is required and with about 10% replacement of limestone with
BF slag creates a market for 60 MT BF slag /year, thus providing an additional possibility for
100% reuse of BF slag and also a drastic reduction of CO2 emissions will be a bonus with
reduced limestone mining. Granulated blast furnace slag can be utilized in the Portland slag
cement (PSC) manufacturing in the proportion of 25 to 70 percent, as a blending material,
depending upon the quality of slag and clinker used. The steel slag can replace granulated
blast furnace slag up to 10 percent in the manufacture of PSC. The iron oxide is around 0.5%
in BF slag, whereas, in case of steel slag, total iron content varies from 16 to 23% . Indian
cement industry is consuming almost the entire granulated slag produced and can consume up
to 70% of the blast furnace slag generated, as less iron content in slag is suitable for the
cement manufacturing. As per Indian standard specification the increasing slag amount
beyond 50 percent causes a decrease of the bare minimum compressive strength. Because of
the deleterious effects of high MnO content, the slag having high MnO could not be
recommended for utilization in slag cements manufacturing. Apart from being more
environment-friendly, the Portland slag cements inherent properties which gives several
advantages over ordinary cement — ultimate compressive strength, resistance to chloride &
sulphate attacks, low risk of cracking, improved workability, enhanced compatibility with all
variety of admixtures, superior finish, ease of pumping, better resistance against alkali-silica
reaction and also minimised shrinkage cracks.

. LD-slag is used as cement making for replacement of clinker. Although LD-slag usage in
cement making is commercialised in China, Indian cement manufacturers are still unwilling
to take advantage of the low cost raw material for cement manufacture'''. LD-slag has higher
CaO content in comparison to BF-slag, which acts as an activator and gives better strength.
However, presence of P,05 results in corrosion of reinforced materials in concrete structure.
If only 10% LD-slag is used in cement, the P,O, content will be around 0.3% which is not so
harmful in portland slag cement (PSC), because low P,05 in PSC react; with alkali in slag
contributing little strength of cement'''. Therefore, more than 10% LD-slag use in PSC is not
possible.

6|Page
At Tata Steel, a project has been initiated in collaboration with Lafarge India to make a use of
LD-slag in cement making The bench scale trial is being conducted at the Jojobera Cement
Plant of Lafarge

Road / Concrete making

Aggregates are the key constituent of concrete occupying approximately 70 - 75% of its total
volume and directly affecting the fresh & hardened properties. Silica is one of the ingredients
of conventional fine aggregate used in normal concreting operations, Brindha et al. (2010)
confirms the presence of a desirable amount of silica in slag is about 26%. Compressive and
flexural strength along with the split tensile strength of steel slag aggregate concrete are
higher than conventional concrete. The steel slag could be effectively utilized as a partial
replacement for fine aggregate and coarse aggregates in all types of concrete construction
purposes. It was also reported that 100% replacement of naturally available crushed coarse
aggregates with slag aggregates, enhanced the flexure and split tensile strength by about 6%
to 8% in all grades of concrete mixes, it was found that the concrete with steel slag was
having better physical properties than the concrete containing crushed limestone aggregate.
The resistance to deflection and vertical strain will be increased by adding steel slag to the
aggregates . The texture of the steel slag aggregate is rougher than that of the conventional,
which is why the slump values for the steel slag concrete were less than that of the normal
concrete. Fine aggregate replacement by steel slag shows enhanced workability compared to
coarse aggregate replacement and the compressive, tensile and flexural strength of concrete
was also improved with the partial replacement of fine aggregate by steel slag. Steel slag
aggregates have better shape, size and rough surface than conventional aggregates and thus
provide improved adhesion between the particles and cement paste

In India, huge amount of natural resources like soil and aggregates are being utilized for
development of road projects like National Highway Development Program (NHDP),
PMGSY (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana) and CMGSY (Chief Minister Gram Sadak
Yojana) programs. This leads to resource exploitation of naturally available materials. In the
20th century, steel slag was found to be excellent aggregate as road paving material[2]. Air
cooled blast furnace slag, as a substitute of store aggregate /chips, has been acceded by the
Indian Road Congress (IRC) and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for road construction[7].
On the other hand, Steel slag could become unstable because of its free lime (CaO) and free
magnesia (MgO) with the consequent risk of expansion Thus their use is limited in road

7|Page
construction and is virtually excluded from use as fill under structures. Steel slag, as
construction aggregate, is recommended only in those situations where the expansion is
unlikely, as in the case of dense bitumen macadam, or in the places where expansion does not
cause a serious problem. Their main use, therefore, is in the upper bituminous layers of the
road structure or in the surface course [5]. Abrasion value, Impact value, crushing value and
CBR values of the steel slag aggregates was found to be 30 percent, 13.90 percent, 5.20
percent, 8.27 percent and 15.57 percent respectively, well within permissible limit as per IS
standards [13].

It was reported that the steel industry waste product is suitable and economical material for
use in the road construction and the optimal mix is 15% steel slag mix in sub grade and in sub
base for road construction[9]. It was also concluded in an investigation that slag may be
utilized in the building of sub-grade and embankments. About 40 to 50% of slag material
could be used to replace conventional aggregate for constructing layer of granular sub-base
(GSB) and for bituminous layers it is not suitable [8]. Granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS)
should be able to use as a partial replacement of unmodified aggregate up to 20-30% in the
construction of granular sub base layers, also maximum un-soaked California Bearing Ratio
(CBR) value was increased by 40.78% when 20% replacement with GBFS, whereas the 4-
day soaked CBR value was increased by 46.60% [8].

The sections of roadway in which blast furnace slag was used as a means of soft ground
stabilization offers a degree of stabilization equivalent to that of the traditional method of
using rock aggregate blast furnace slag which provides the following advantages when used
as a coarse aggregate for sub-base

1. Slag that has been water quenched tends to have a lowered wear resistance and soundness;

2. For most sub base applications in which above two properties are critical, air cooled as
opposed to water quenched, slag is used. In order to meet most state coarse aggregate
specifications, most often air cooled slag is crushed to a ¾ inch particle size or less, once
properly sized, these by-products can serve as suitable substitutes for native coarse aggregate
in this application; and

3. The sections of roadway in which blast furnace slag was used as a means of providing soft
ground stabilization provided a degree of stabilization equivalent to that of the traditional
method of using rock aggregate.

8|Page
The public works department (PWD) has permitted the utilization of iron and steel slag in
construction of paved roads. In Bellary district, India, the first use of steel slag was exercised
where a mega steel plants is situated[8]. Because of its expansive character due to hydration
of free lime (CaO) or free magnesia (MgO), steel slag must be allowed for the weathering
process before using as an aggregate in construction[18]. Slag can be used for rigid pavement
construction in the equal ratio with combination of manufactured sand or river sand. But it is
not recommended as a 100 percent replacement of natural sand for rigid pavement works

Sinter Making

After crushing and grinding to suitable size LD-slag is used as a flux material in sinter
making. Tata Steel uses up to 50% of LD slag in their sinter plant and Steel Authority of
India Ltd. (SAIL) uses up to 36.6%t61 of the same.[18]

LD-slag does not demand heat for calcination when used in sintering. It contains a substantial
amount of calcium silicates. Pure di-calcium silicates are high melting compounds (2403K)
and so are the solid solutions rich in calcium silicates. This temperature is not attained within
a sintered bed. However the presence of iron oxide environment around calcium silicates
prevailing in a sinter bed changes the situation. A mixture of 23% di-calcium silicate
(2CaOSiO,) and 77% FeO would melt at around 1553K only. Similarly, the lime rich phases
having melting ranges over 2273K, when adequately mixed with iron oxides can have
liquidus temperatures of the order of 1473K. Microstructural observation of laboratory sinter
and plant sinter were taken up and found that characteristic microstructural feature of LD-
slag could not be detected in any of these samples. Therefore, it can be said that for all
practical purposes, LD-slag got completely assimilated during the sintering. Incorporation of
LD-slag has not been found to affect the quality and properties of sinter in terms of size,
strength and RBI even up to 40kg per ton of sinter.

soil stabilization and soil conditioner

Steel LD slag has been used as a liming agent for pasture in Northern Spain. Use of LD slag
has been shown to increase the soil pH. Experiments have found that application of LD

9|Page
increased the soil pH linearly. The soil pH increased from 5.3 to 6.4 with the use of 7500Kg
of slag/hectare, the second year response being higher i.e. 41% increase in soil pH with
3000Kg slag/hectare . In soil conditioning slags are efficient in soil neutralisation. In
addition, the siliceous liming materials improve soil structure and reduce fungal infections.
Blast furnace slag can be used also in agriculture because of its high sorption capacity of
phosphorus, which remains into the available form for the plants. Negative effects, resulting
from steel slags use, could derive from their heavy metal concentrations, but such metals tend
to bound to the slag matrix and thus they are not available for plants. All these factors
contribute to underline positive effects of using slag as liming materials that lead to better
yield of the crops, soil protection and reduction of natural resources consumption.
NILANCHAL Refractories, a Tata group company manufacturing a soil conditioner-Growell.
Growell is essentially enriched slag used as a soil conditioner or liming agent to acidic soils.
Growell has been made by using the TISCO basic slag and it contains calcium, phosphates
and other elements[21]. The product has been certified by the Union Ministry of Agriculture
and the Fertilizer Association of India. It has been noted that application of Growell in acidic
soil increases the yield by 25% and above, According to the results LD slag appears to be a
useful liming material for correcting the acidic condition of soil. This is in natural range and
show a positive effect on mustard and wheat seedling growth. Thus this can be used as a rural
biotechnology for better plant growth. Government of India, Ministry of Finance has notified
that LD slag can be used as soil conditioner after its crushing, washing and adding with rock
phosphates etc. LD slag contains 29% calcium in form of CaO. Slag is principally a lime
based material that absorbs the oxides and trace elements arising from refining of iron. LD
slag also contains phosphorous in the form of P2O5. So, LD slag has a limiting to ground lime
stone and is used regularly to regulate the need of liming on acidic soil. Many field trials and
experiments have shown significant improvement in crop yield and pasture quality.

Steel slag also has been used as amendment for metal contaminated soils.[3] The use and
environmental assessment of LD slag is more recent P-spiked LD slag was used as a soil
additive to improve physico-chemical soil properties and in situ stabilization of Cu and other
trace metals in a sandy Cu-contaminated soil (630 mg kg−1 soil). The result found that soil
pH increases with increase in incorporation rate of LD slag. P-spiked LD slag incorporation
into polluted soil allows the bean growth, foliar Ca concentration, but also to reduce foliar Cu
concentration below its upper critical value avoiding an excessive soil EC and Zn deficiency .

10 | P a g e
fertilizer in agriculture

Steel LD slag can also be used in fertilizers for agricultural applications The efforts have
been made in Tata steel that LD slag after grinding to 300 mesh, can be used as a soil
conditioner in paddy field, tea gardens etc. Nippon KokanKk Corporation (NKK) in Japan
has developed a process to produce eco-friendly slow release potassium silicate fertilizer
from the slag which is generated during the desiliconisation process of hot metal at steel mill.
Using of slag’s ingredient is the basic idea of NKK. In this process potassium carbonate
pellets are added to molten slag, containing silicon dioxide as main ingredient in hot metal
ladle and melted uniformly at 1673K. The molten mixture is collected from ladle, cooled and
pulverized in to granular fertilizer. The produced fertilizer which is brackish gray in colour
and comprises of vitric potassium silicate as its main ingradient and exhibits slower release
effects than conventional quick acting chemical fertilizer such as potassium chloride,
potassium sulphate and urea ( NKK 2000). Many studies have been done for production of
fertilizes from LD slag, semi-calcined dolomite and ammonium sulfate and their agricultural
applications for agro-forestry, pasture farming. The influence of these materials on chemical
composition of soil and grass to potential economic benefits of applying this new fertilizer to
the soil were evaluated. According to soil type and agricultural use by adding a concentration
of LD slag between 1.5 and 5.0t/ha, it is possible to achieve increase in soil pH and improve
the soil quality and also productivity. The experimental works were carried out using
pulverized LD slag for growing different vegetables and crops like tomato, potato, onion,
spinach and wheat in acidic soil. Steel slag contains fertilizer components CaO, SiO2, and
MgO. In addition to these three components, it also contains components such as FeO, MnO,
and P2O5, so it has been used for a broad range of agricultural purposes. Its alkaline property
remedies soil acidity. In developed countries such as Germany, USA, France and Japan,
converter slag is used to produce siliceous fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer and micronutrient
fertilizer

Business Line dated Tuesday, May 28, 2002 (The Hindu Group) had reported NILANCHAL
Refractories, a Tata group company manufacturing a soil conditioner-Growell. Growell is
essentially enriched slag used as a soilconditioner or liming agent to acidic soils. Growell has
been made by using the TISCO basic slag and it contains calcium, phosphates and other
elements. The product has been certified by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and the
Fertilizer Association of India. It has been noted that application of Growell in acidic soil

11 | P a g e
increases the yield by 25% and above, According to the results LD slag appears to be a useful
material for correcting the acidic condition of soil.

Experiments have found that application of LD increased the soil pH linearly. The soil pH
increased from 5.3 to 6 with the use of 7500Kg of slag/hectare, the second year response
being higher i.e. 41% increase in soil pH with 3000Kg slag/hectare [19]. In soil conditioning
slags are efficient in soil neutralisation. In addition, the siliceous liming materials improve
soil structure and reduce fungal infections.[20]

As it was pointed out earlier, even with all these types of utilization of LD slag, still the
problem of slag dumping persists which results in serious environmental degradation. So
there is an urgent need to utilize these slags in other applications also.

12 | P a g e
Literature Review

Statement of the problem

Management of solid waste is a challenge for efficient and cost-effective operation at any
Steel Plant because the actual of waste generation is more than any other plants in India.
Presently, India is the fourth-largest manufacturer of steel following China, Japan and the US.
Presently in India, the generation of industrial solid waste by integrated iron and steel plants
is nearly 270 million tonnes while, utilisation is only of 30%[4]

Slag generated during steelmaking in basic oxygen converter (LD-Converter) is one of the
important waste materials in an integrated steel plant. Production rate of LD-slag is 150-
180kg per ton of crude steel.[5] Total generation per annum is 0.98 million tonne in Tata
Steel, about 1.28 million tonne in SAIL and worldwide generation is about 47 million tonne
per annum

Considering an average of last three years, Steel plants in India has generated about 2.77
million tones of solid waste for an average production level of 4.0 million tones of crude
steel. Out of the total waste generation of 2.77 million tones, 0.68 million tones(24.8%) was
sold, 0.41 million tones was recycled (14%) and rest 1.67 million tones (60%) was dumped in
dump yards. The data shows that the total generation of solid waste is abnormally high, the
percentage of recycling/ reuse is very low and percentage of dumping is very high.
Collection, transportation and dumping of waste are very expensive and a large area of land is
needed. Steel Plants in India are facing space constraints due to filling up of old dump yards
and limited site area available for opening of new dumping space. Moreover, high cost of
dumping due to longer lead distance for future sites adds to this predicament.

Moreover dumping of slag has also creates a lot of environmental concerns. Porosity and
permeability of soil can be reduced by iron and steel slag Leachate generation can be of great
environmental concern from huge dumping of steel slag[5]. The major issue of concern for
steel slag is its unscientific dumping sites neighbouring very close to the populated area due
to leachate generation. These industrial solid wastes are environmentally hazardous in nature,
mainly due to release of leachate, to the human beings and also pollute soil and water [6].
Steel slag utilization for agricultural purposes arises the possible leaching of heavy metals
and consequently the change of soil properties affects the plants [7]. Enormous quantities of
steel slag are deposited in Indian slag yards, may cause environmental pollution[8]. The

13 | P a g e
unscientific dumping of iron and steel slag by the generators can also have harmful effects
upon the aquatic environment in the vicinity of the increase in pH of water sources, leaching
of heavy metals, and rapid rates of calcite precipitation which suffocate benthic habitats

OTHER MODES OF UTILIZATION OF LD SLAG

LD slag can also be utilized for:

1. Tile making
2. Calcium Carbonate formation & CO2 capture

The table given below lists the papers where slag was used for above 2 applications.

Table5: Utilization of LD slag for tile making & CO2 capture

Sl NAME OF MATERIALS EXPERIMENTAL KEY FINDINGS

PAPER USED PROCEDURE

1 Recycling of EAF slag from Wet Mixing of raw Max Wt % of slag that can
Malaysia’s Southern Steel materials in various be used is 40 wt%
electric arc Berhad with proportion in a mixture for
furnace particle size 60 min Silica & feldspar reduces
(EAF) slag less than 53µm porosity & increases
waste into Drying in oven at 105oC flexural strength due to
Ball for 24 hrs higher amount of anorthite
heavy-duty clay(SiO2- phase formed
green 48%, Al2O3- 5-6 wt% of water added &
ceramic tile 36%) compacted in hydraulic the optimum composition
press under 40MPA of
Silica & pressure
ceramic tile was
feldspar
Drying in an oven at determined to be 40 wt.%
Slag 105oC for 24 Hrs before EAF slag –
Composition sintering at 1150oC for 1
hr 30 wt.% ball clay – 10
SiO2-20 wt.% feldspar – 20 wt.%
characterized in terms of silica
Al2O3-8.3 bulk density, water
CaO-29 absorption, apparent
porosity, flexural strength,
Fe0-32 phase present and the
microstructure
Mg0-2.6

14 | P a g e
2 Preparation BFS waste wet milling (100 g water BFS usage increases
of ceramic product from for 20 min), using a anorthite formation,
wall tiling the Erdemir laboratory ball mill increases strength and
derived Iron-steel plant lowers TEC
from blast dried at 110o C, crushed
furnace slag Clay, Kaolin & below 63 µm, ground and Addition of 33% of BFS in
Sand then humidified with 6.5 ceramic wall tiles results
wt% water in an almost 25%
Slag increment in fired strength
composition The humidified mixture
were pressed at 130 bar
SiO2-41.2 pressure using a Gabrielli
Al2O3-14.3 press and formed into
100_50_5 mm size tiles.
CaO-32.7 The wall tiles were dried
at 110 oC and fired in an
MgO-7.3
industrial roller kiln (1136
0
FeO-0.8 C for42min).

3 Utilization electric arc One kilogram batch of 1.Increase in firing

of steel furnace each composition was temperature increases the
melting prepared by wet milling in shrinkage and density and
electric arc slag (Essar a pot mill for 6 h at a reduces the apparent
furnace slag Steel Ltd, speed of 35 rpm. The porosity and water
for India), quartz slurries were dried and absorption values for all
development powder (Tamil disintegrated. the compositions

of vitreous Nadu, India), Dry powders were 2.zero percent water

ceramic tiles T-clay thoroughly absorption (vitrification)
(Thangarh, temperature reduces with
India), B-clay mixed with 5–6 wt.% increase in feldspar
(Baruipur, water and rectangular bars
(100 × 15 × 6 mm) and 3.strength increases
India) and tiles (100 × 100 × 6 mm)
feldspar were prepared using with increase in the firing
(Ranchi, uniaxial compaction at a temperature but the
India). specific pressure of 25 increase is much
MPa significant above 1125°C
EAF slag firing.
composition: The compacted bars were
dried at 110°C till the 4.For batches with higher
SiO2-20.3 feldspar content, strength
moisture content was
Al203-7.3 reduced to < 0⋅5 wt.% and decreases above 1125oC
due to over firing, grain

15 | P a g e
 CaO-22.8 then growth and re-
crystallization.
Fe2O3-42.4 fired in the temperature
range of 1100–1150°C for
Mg0-8 a soaking period of 1 h in
an electric furnace

4. Use of BF slag The five slags were mixed Slag tiles are denser and
South composition with clay, whiting, have lower water
African feldspar and quartz absorption and higher
SiO2-33-35 powder in various resistance to abrasion than
blast
furnace MgO-7-17 proportions after which the conventional split &
slag mixtures were dry-milled quarry tile.
Al2O3-11-15 to a fineness such that
for ceramic practically all the material
purposes Fe2O3-0.7-2
passed a 200-mesh Tyler
screen.

10% water was mixed and

pressed under 20N/mm2

After drying at 1000C for

approximately 16 hours
the tiles were fired in a
globar electric furnace to
temperatures

ranging between 1200°

and 12500C depending on
the slag as well as on the
composition for 4-5 hrs

5. Dissolution BOF slag from 0.5, 2, and 5 g of slag was Ca leaches the most & Al
of steel slags 2 different mixed in 300 ml of water least
in aqueous steel plant of 3 at atmospheric pressure &
media different temperature of 25,50,900C Rate of dissolution
particle size for 240 hrs decreases with time
range Al conc of filtrate reaches
dehydrated at The slurry collected at
specific time interval was a minimum level by the
105oC for 24 end of 240 h due to the
filtered & filtrate was

16 | P a g e
 hrs diluted in HNO3 & precipitation of secondary
analyzed with ICP-AES compounds such as
H4Al2O5

dissolution of steel slag

resembles the shrinking
core model. This model
observed two diffusion
resistances, one due to the
residue layer, and another
due to the precipitate
layer. Therefore, the
evidence shows that the
rate of change in the
dissolution of mineral ions
is controlled by the
thicknesses and
resistivities of these layers
during reaction time.

high dissolution rates at

higher

temperatures regardless of
the S/L ratio

for each particle size

range, dissolution of the
slag particles increased
with the increase in the
S/L ratio, but the increase
is not proportional .
dissolution decreases with
increase in particle size.

For CO2 sequestration

Slag should have high Ca
content as CaCO3 is stable
& have high dissolution
rate Fe & Al have limited
solubility & high pressure
required for MgCO3
formation

minimum 120 h of
carbonation is required

17 | P a g e
 under standard operating
conditions to stabilize the
steel slag before its usage
in landfills & industrial
purposes

6. Dissolution The iron and Acetic acid solutions of iron and steel slags
of steel slags various concentrations dissolve more completely
steelmaking provided by were heated to a specified than wollastonite in an
slags in Raahe steel temperature in a glass aqueous solution of acetic
acetic acid works reactor of 250 ml. The acid
for (Ruukki) and glass reactor was
precipitated Tornio steel surrounded by a water extraction of calcium from
calcium works bath, which was heated iron and steel slags to be
(Outokumpu). using a separate closed much faster than
carbonate Wollastonite temperature-controlled wollastonite
production mined near water bath. Nitrogen was roughly 6–7 ml glacial
Lappeenranta continuously fed to the
acetic acid is
(Nordkalk) ( reactor (above the surface
required/gram of blast
size-125- of the solution) at 1 l/min
furnace slag for adequate
500µm) to prevent CO2 in air from
calcium extraction.
interfering with the
experiments. The solution Higher temperature, higher
was stirred using a extraction rate.
magnetic stirrer at
approximately 600–700
rpm. When the
temperature for the
solution had stabilized
after heat-up to the desired
temperature, 4.2 g of slag
was added to the solution
he solution was stirred for
2 h, and four samples of
10 ml each were extracted
5, 20 min, 1, and 2 h after
the addition of the slag

18 | P a g e
 using a syringe. The
samples were immediately
filtered through a syringe
membrane filter of 0.45
mm pore size and the
liquid samples were sent to
analysis.

7 Evaluation the slag Different amount of slag The extraction recovery of

of sample is was mixed with 250 ml of Ca from steelmaking slag
steelmaking mainly the solution in varying at optimal leaching
slag for CO2 composed acid concentrations (0.10– conditions was 61.51%.
fixation by 1.00 M) in a leaching The experimental
leaching- of 14.10% conditions for the
reactor
carbonation (SiO2), dissolution of Ca from
process 48.80% (CaO), The carbonation test was steelmaking slag are
23.30% performed in various following as: 0.7 M acid
(Fe2O3), experimental conditions concentration, 6.54% L/S
2.10%(Al2O3), following as Na/CH3COO ratio, 50°C reaction
4.00% (MgO), ratio (0.45–1.80), reaction temperature, 700 rpm
0.10% (K2O), temperature (30–70°C), stirring speed, 0.10 mm
0.60% (TiO2), particle size, and 1.5-h
CO2 flow rate (5–22
0.20% reaction time.
L/min), and reaction time
(Na2O), 1.90% (2–10 min). For carbonation
(P2O5), 4.90% :Na/CH3COO-0.93,
(MnO). 0.20% temperature-50oC 10 min
(S).
reaction time, and 22
L/min CO2 flow rate.

19 | P a g e
Experimental Procedure

Materials used

LD slag from Tata Steel is the main material used. It was crushed using ball mill & sieved
below 100 micron size. SRK clay, Silica & feldspar is also used for making pellets of tiles.

3.2 Instruments used in the study

In this study instruments were used which are described below.

3.2.1 Ball mill

Sample was received as bulk, so grinding was performed using ball mill followed by

sieving and get different sizes of sample. After grinding, the powder was sieved in

different size fractions but the work has been done on sample size 150 mesh sizes

(100 microns) for experiments

Fig 1: Ball mill

20 | P a g e
3.2.2 Muffle Furnace

A proportional integral derivative controlled muffle furnace was used in this study as

shown in Fig 3.2. Uniform heating mechanism has been carried out in this furnace.

And the furnace have the outer dimensions of 24’’ x 16” x 14” (Fig.3.2).

The furnace consisted of heating zone of dimensions of 9” x 6” x 6”and the heating

temperature range was from room temperature to 1200 deg C.

The furnace was well insulated in and there was no loss of heat during heating. Heating rate
of the furnace was 20ºC/minute.

Fig 2: Muffle furnace

21 | P a g e
3.2.3 Glass wares

The beakers of 250 ml, measuring cylinders of various volumes (10 ml, 25ml, and

100ml), conical flask of 250ml, funnel of 40 mm diameter, and culture tubes of 15 ml

used in this study were made up of borosilicate glass.

These beakers could sustain the temperature up to 250ºC and were used mainly for

leaching of the samples. Conical flasks were used for the filtration after leaching.

Glass funnel was used for filtration and culture tubes were used for keeping the

prepared solution after dilution for flame photometer analysis

Fig 3: Glasswares

22 | P a g e
3.2.4 Magnetic stirrer, filter paper and Parafilm

Magnetic stirrers with ceramic hotplate (Cole Parmer) were used throughout study.

These stirrers have the stirring speed of maximum 1500 rpm and temperature up to

250 deg C. Magnetic stirrer, filter paper and Parafilm are shown in Fig.4.

Parafilm was always used for covering the beaker during leaching to avoid any

material loss during leaching. Whatman filter paper grade 1 having 110 mm diameter

was used to filter the solution after leaching. All the leaching experiments were

carried out in a 250 ml glass beaker placed on a magnetic stirrer with controlled

temperature environment. All leaching experiments were carried out at atmospheric

pressure with appropriate leaching media under continuous stirring at 900 rpm.

Fig 4: Magnetic stirrer, filter paper and Parafilm

23 | P a g e
3.2.5 Flame Photometer

Flame photometer is used to analyze the elements dissolved in the dissolution. Flame

photometer of the solution has been carried out in systronics flame photometer.

Elements which are sensitive to flame color. These elements are Ca, Li, Na, K and

their presence in the sample changes flame color.

The systronic flame photometer (Fig.3.5) with compressor was used in this study.

The instruments have two modes of analysis i.e. high concentration mode and low

concentration mode. In high concentration mode, the standard solution of

concentration should be in between 10- 100ppm whereas in case of low concentration

mode standard solution should be in between 1-10 ppm for calibration. The high

concentration mode was mostly used in this study to analyze the potassium content in

the sample.

Fig 5: Flame Photometer

24 | P a g e
3.2.6 Scanning electron microscope

SEM having very high resolution (10nm), so it can be used to find the morphology,

chemical composition, structural alteration of feed (FE-SEM Quanta 200 FEG) is shown in
Fig.3.7.

Fig 6: SEM

3.2.8 X-Ray diffractometer

The X-ray diffraction study of the powdered sample was carried out using a RIGAKU

Smart Lab X-ray diffractometer (Fig.7) using Co Kα (wavelength 0.154 nm)

radiation.

Fig 7: XRD

25 | P a g e
3.2.8 Carbonation setup

Since mineral carbonation is the reaction of carbon dioxide (CO2) with

basic minerals to form harmless solid carbonates. So, in this setup 2L capacity glass

reactor consists of one inlet (CO2 gas supply) one outlet and another outlet which goes

to manometer (pressure reading) shown in fig. 8

Fig 8: Carbonation Set up

X-ray Fluorescence

Major and minor constituents of various slag samples were analysed by XRF spectrometry
on Phillips (PW-1400) X-ray spectrometer with Scandium and Rhodium targets using
pentaerythritol (Al, Si), Thallium Acid Pathalate (Na, Mg), Germanium (P) and Lithium
Fluoride (for heavier elements) as analyzing crystals in vacuum medium. International and
in-house standards of appropriate compositions were used for calibration. Both major and
minor elements were determined by pressed powered pellet technique.

26 | P a g e
Methodology

Calcium Carbonate Formation& C02 capture:

1. LD slag was crushed in a ball mill below 75 microns size

2. Leaching of LD slag was done in water, acetic acid, citric acid & Hcl

3. Filtration of the solution was done.

4. Ca content of the filtrate was found out by flame spectrometer.

5. Carbonation of the filtrate for 30 min at room temperature & normal pressure

6. Filtration of the carbonated solution. The solid amorphous powder filtered out is
sent for XRD analysis

Tile making:

The major raw materials used were:

1. LD slag,
2. SRK clay,
3. Silica
4. Feldspar

1. First, LD slag from Tata Steel was crushed into powder, with particle sizes of 100
mesh size & below, in a ball mill for 15 min. The chemical composition of the raw
materials are determined by XRF & Wet chemical analysis( for LD slag)
2. Initially, LD slag was well-mixed with SRK clay, K-feldspar (potash feldspar) and
silica . In this process, the weight percentage of each raw material was varied as
shown in table 6.

27 | P a g e
BATCH WT PERCENTAGE(%)

LD SLAG SRK CLAY QUARTZ FELDSPAR

A 60 40

B 50 50

C 40 40 10 10

D 40 30 20 10

3. After mixing, the mixture was dried in an oven at 110 _C for 24 h. The dried mixture
was then re-crushed using mortar.
4. powder mixture was granulated and moistened by water. The amount of moisture
introduced was approximately 5–6 wt.% per sample.
5. Granulated mixture of each composition was compacted by hydraulic press with
pressure of 2.5,5,7.5 T/inch2, yielding a circular pellet of tile of diameter 20mm.
6. The compacted body was dried in an electric oven at 110 _C for 24 h before
sintering at 1100 oC for 1 h.
7. Finally, the naturally cooled samples were characterized in terms of bulk density,
water absorption, phase present and the chemical composition.

Measurnment of Water Absorbtion Rate :

The measurnments are done according to IS-13630 code for ceramic tiles. Following
procedure was followed

1. The pellets of tiles are placed in the oven at 110±50C, until it attains constant mass,
2. The pellets of tiles are cooled the tiles to room temperature.
3. Each tile specimen is weighed and the weight of individual test specimen (i.e. m1) is
recorded in the observation sheet.
4. The pellets of tiles are placed vertically, with no contact between them, in water in
the water bath so that there is a depth of 50 mm water above and below the tiles.

28 | P a g e
 5. The water is heated until boiling and continue to boil for 2 h. After 2 h, the source of
heat is switched off and allow the tiles to cool, still completely immersed in this
water, over night.
6. The weight of the tile still suspended in water was also recorded(m3)
7. The pellets tiles from the water bath and remove the surface water from the tiles
pieces by chamois leather.
8. Immediately weigh each tile and record the weight (i.e. m2) in the observation sheet.
9. Now place the specimens in the wire basket that is immersed in water and determine
the weight of each specimen to the nearest 0.01g.

Calculation
1. Water Absorption
For each tile, calculate the water absorption in percentage (to the first decimal place) of the
dry mass using the following formula.
Water absorption (%) = [(m2 – m1) / m1] * 100
Where,
m1 = mass of the dry tile, in g
m2 = mass of the wet tile, in g
Calculate the average water absorption of the sample as the average of the individual result.

29 | P a g e
4. RESULTS & DISCUSSIONS

4.1CHARACTERIZATION OF LD SLAG

4.1.1CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:

The chemical composition of LD slag was found out by both XRF & Wet Chemical
Analysis. Its chemical composition is shown in the table given below:

Table 7: Chemical composition of LD slag

LD SLAG

XRF WCA

SiO2 12.50 11.25

Al2O3 1.83 0.97

Fe2O3 18.99 9.91

CaO 58.24 42.19

MgO 2.985 5.16

Na2O 0.087 0.26

K2O 0.075 0.06

P205 2.06 2.12

From the above table it is clear that

1. LD slag is generally a mixture of various oxides.

2. Almost 50% of the oxides present in LD slag is Calcium oxide.
3. LD slag also contains appreciable amount of silicon & iron oxides.
4. Trace amount of aluminium, phosphorus &magnesium oxides are also present

30 | P a g e
4.1.2XRD ANALYSIS:

Fig 3: XRD analysis of LD Slag

From the above XRD analysis we can see that the major phases present in the LD slag are:

1. Calcium hydroxide
2. Tri-calcium silicate
3. Di-calcium silicate
4. Magnesium silicate
5. Calcium iron oxide.

31 | P a g e
4.1.3SEM EDAX ANALYSIS

ELEMENTS WT%

O 45.71

Mg 1.65

Al 0.58

Si 4.2

Ca 40.21

Fe 6.86

Fig 4: SEM- EDAX analysis of LD Slag

Figure 6 shows the gravel-size particles of BOF slag. The gravel-size particles of BOF slag
had shapes varying from subrounded to subangular. Distinct asperities and edges were visible
in subangular, bulky particles. Most of the gravel-size particles had a high sphericity and a
solid structure. A heterogeneous porous structure was also observed on the surface of a few
particles. The particles also have got a rough texture.

The EDAX analysis shows that oxygen is the main element present in LD slag. It is expected
since LD slag is basically a mixture of oxides. It also has got appreciable amount of Si & Ca

32 | P a g e
4.2LEACHING OF SLAG

Leaching of the slag is done to extract calcium from the LD slag , first by water & then by
acids. The 3 acids used are hydrochloric acid, acetic acid & citric acid.

The reactions of Calcium silicates present in LD slag with water & acids taking place during
the leaching are:

Ca2SiO4 + H2O = Ca(OH)2 + SiO2

Ca2SiO4 + CH3COOH = Ca(CH3COO)2 + H2O + SiO2

Ca2SiO4 + HCl = CaCl2 + H2O + SiO2

Ca2SiO4 + C6H8O7 = Ca3(C6H5O7)2 + H2O + SiO2

Similarly the magnesium silicates & iron oxides present in LD slag also reacts with water &
acids during leaching:

MgSiO3 + H2O = Mg(OH)2 + SiO2

MgSiO3 + CH3COOH = Mg(CH3COO)2 + H2O + SiO2

MgSiO3 + HCl = MgCl2 + H2O + SiO2

MgSiO3 + C6H8O7 = Mg3(C6H5O7)2 + H2O + SiO2

Fe2O3 + H2O = Fe2(OH)2 + SiO2

Fe2O3 + CH3COOH = Fe(CH3COO)2 + H2O + SiO2

Fe2O3 + HCl = FeCl3 + H2O + SiO2

Fe2O3+ C6H8O7 = Fe(C6H5O7) + H2O + SiO2

These 3 acids are selected because of the higher solubility of calcium salts in water compared
to the magnesium & iron salts so that the leaching of calcium can take place from LD slag.
Iron salts are hardly soluble & a negligeable amount of magnesium is present. So after
filtration, calcium will get extracted into the filtrate.

After that filtration was done & Ca content of the filtrate is determined with the help of the
flame spectrometer. Then the Calcium extraction efficiency is determined with the help of the
following formula:

Ca extraction efficiency= ( amount of Ca in the filtrate)

(amount of Ca in the slag)

33 | P a g e
 Amount of Ca present in the slag can be found out from the XRF analysis of LD slag.

The table given below gives the result of the leaching in water & acids.

Table 8: Leaching in water

S/L ratio (g/ml) Stirring speed Temp Time (hr) Ca extraction efficiency
(rpm) (deg C) (wt%)

1:50 700 RT 6 2.128

1:50 RT 6 2.125

1:125 RT 30 2.246

1:50 RT 30 2.571

1:50 700 95 1 3.63

We see from the above table that leaching by water is not suitable as amount of Ca leached is
very low

Table 9: Leaching of Slag by Acids

SOLVENT CONC S/L TEMP STIRRING TIME LR/ FEED PH Ca
(M) RATIO (oC) SPEED (Hr) SAMPLE EXTRACTION
(g/ml) (rpm) (%)

ACETIC 1 1:50 50 700 1 0.3225 3 36.771

ACID

CITRIC ACID 1 1:50 75 700 1 0.424 1 17.32

HCl 1 1:50 RT 700 1 0.142 1 60.741

So we see that leaching by Acetic Acid & HCl has got a very high calcium extraction efficiency. But
the colour of Hcl filtrate is not found to be white. So that means that iron has also got leached out into
the filtrate. So the filtrate of acetic acid is used for PCC formation.

34 | P a g e
XRD OF LR CITRIC ACID * Ca(OH)2
HCl #-Ca3SiO5
# WATER
^ Ca2SiO4
ACETIC ACID
FEED o MgSiO3
^
& & Ca2Fe2O5
# ^ &
*
#
# ^
INTENSITY

^
# #
^
&
^
*

# #
o
^ & ^ *

10 20 30 40 50 60 70
ANGLE

Fig 9: XRD of LR

XRD of the LR was done to find out which Ca bearing phase is getting leached out by acids &
water. We find that Ca(OH)2 phase is the most easily leachable phase but it still cant be
leached out by water.

35 | P a g e
CARBONATION OF ACETIC ACID FILTRATE

The reaction taking place during Carbonation reaction are:

Ca(CH3COO)2 + H2O +CO2 = CaCO3 + CH3COOH

So from the above reaction we see that we not only form Calcium Carbonate, but we can also
recycle the acetic acid back.

So after carbonation, filtration was done & XRD of the residue left was done

Fig10 : XRD of the Residue

From the above XRD analysis it is clear that we can get CaCO3 with this process. The
chemical formula of the 3 phases formed are same but their structure is different. Vaterite
belongs to the hexagonal crystal system, whereas calcite is trigonal and aragonite is
orthorhombic.

36 | P a g e
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF RAW MATERIALS FOR TILE MAKING

The table given below shows the chemical composition of raw materials for tile making

Table9: Chemical Analysis of raw materials

LD SLAG SRK QUARTZ FELDSPAR

CLAY

XRF WCA

SiO2 12.50 11.25 49.7 98.11 65.99

Al2O3 1.83 0.97 34.94 0.41 17.45

Fe2O3 18.99 9.91 0.57 0.07 0.33

CaO 58.24 42.19 0.735 0.03 1.98

MgO 2.985 5.16 0.360 ___ 0.2

Na2O 0.087 0.26 0.97 ___ 2.96

K2O 0.075 0.06 6.07 ___ 8.46

P205 2.06 2.12 ___ ___ ___

SRK clay & feldspar used is high in silica & alumina content.

Quartz used is about 98 % SiO2

37 | P a g e
XRD ANALYSIS OF PELLETS OF TILES

D
75000 a C
70000 B
A
65000
60000 a
55000 a-anorthite
m w a w h w
50000 w m w h m w-wallastonite
45000 h- haematite
aa
INTENSITY

m-magnetite
40000
ma w a w h
35000 w m w
h w m
30000
a
25000 a
20000 m w a w h
a w m wh w m
15000
a
10000
a a
5000 ma w w wm h h
m
0
20 30 40 50 60 70 80
ANGLE

The 4 main phases present in the pellets of tiles are:

1. Anorthite (Al2O3. CaO .2SiO2)

2. Wallastonite(CaO.SiO2)
3. Haematite (
4. Magnetite

formation of anorthite and wollastonite inceramic could be associated with the reactions
below:

CaO + Al2O3.2SiO2 (metakaolinite from clay)=Al2O3. CaO .2SiO2(anorthite)

CaO + SiO2(from clay and silica) =CaO.SiO2 (wollastonite)

38 | P a g e
XRF OF PELLETS OF TILES

Table 10: XRF OF PELLETS OF TILES

A B C D

SiO2 31.02 34.12 42.98 49.7

Al2O3 17.95 21.2 17.12 15.6

Fe2O3 9.65 7.6 7.53 5.4

CaO 29.05 23.2 20.2 17.4

MgO 2.54 2.94 1.88 1.34

Na2O 0.95 1.1 1.05 0.77

K2O 0.54 0.43 0.33 0,12

From the above table we can see that the tiles have got a high percentage of silica, alumina &
calcium oxide

39 | P a g e
Water Absorbtion Rate Of Pellets of Tiles

Mass W2 WA% AVG WA%

A 2.52 2.94 17.1 17.6

2.54 3.02 19.2

2.6 3.02 16.5

B 2.48 2.81 13.5 14.33

2.54 2.89 14.1

2.56 2.95 15.4

C 2.5 2.68 7.2 8.63

2.58 2.84 10.2

2.55 2.76 8.5

D 2.6 2.74 5.4 5.26

2.52 2.63 4.5

2.57 2.72 5.9

W1- Wt of Pellets

W2- Wt of Pellets saturated with water

WA%( Water Absorbtion Rate)= (W2-W1)/100

From the above table it is clear that Batch D has got the lowest water absorbtion rate. So its
porosity is very low.

40 | P a g e
SUMMARY

1. In the present case scenario, utilization of steel slag has become matter of prime
importance to avoid environmental concerns.
2. An effort has been made in this project to utilize LD slag for tile making & CO2
capture.
3. LD slag consists of SiO2, CaO, & iron oxides . The phases present in it are calcium
hydroxide, calcium & magnesium silicates & calcium iron oxides.
4. Leaching of LD slag with water results in very low calcium extraction
5. Leaching of LD slag with acetic acid & HCl results in very high calcium extraction
6. The filtrate of Acetic acid leaching can be used for CO2 capture & calcium carbonate
formation
7. Tiles made LD slag consists of phases like anorthite, wallastonite, silica & iron
oxides.
8. Tiles made with 40% LD slag, 30% clay, 20% quartz & 10% feldspar has got the
lowest porosity.

41 | P a g e
 References:-
1. Awoyera et al. (2015) Influence of Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) Slag Aggregate
Sizes on the Workability and Durability of Concrete, International Journal of
Engineering and Technology (IJET), Vol 7 No 3 Jun-Jul 2015
2. Ahmed Ebrahim Abu El-Maaty Behiry (2013) Evaluation of Steel slag and crushed
limestone mixtures as sub base material in flexible pavement, Ain shams Engineering
Journal (2013) 4, 43-53.
3. Biradar, K. B., kumar, A. U. And Satyanarayana, P.V.V. (2014) Influence of Steel
Slag and Fly Ash on Strength Properties of Clayey Soil: A Comparative Study,
International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) – Volume 14
Number 2 – Aug 2014
4. Brindha, D., Baskaran,T, and Nagan,S. (2010) Assessment of Corrosion and
Durability Characteristics of Copper Slag Admixed Concrete, International Journal Of
Civil And Structural Engineering, Vol. 1, no. 2, pp.192-211.
5. Bhagwan, J. and Guru Vittal, U. K.(2014) Use of Marginal Materials for Rural
Road Construction - Some Recent Initiatives, Proceedings of Indian Geotechnical
Conference IGC-2014 December 18-20, 2014
6. Buddhdev, B. G. and Varia, H. R. (2014) Feasibility Study on Application of Blast
Furnace Slag in Pavement Concrete, International Journal of Innovative Research in
Science, Engineering and Technology, Vol. 3, Issue 3, March 2014
7. Bharath, V. S. and Rao, P. R. M. (2015) Study on the Fibre Reinforced Concrete
Using Steel Slag as the Coarse Aggregate Replacement, International Journal For
Technological Research In Engineering Volume 2, Issue 7, March-2015
8. Humaria, M. S. Y. (2014) Impact of Iron and Steel Slag on Crop Cultivation: A
Review. Curr World Environ 2014;9(1). Available from:
http://www.cwejournal.org/?p=5746, http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CWE.9.1.31
9. CPCB, http://www.cpcb.nic.in/newitems/24.pdf, 31, March 2016
10. Chaubey, S. and Ali Jawaid, S. M. (2016) Soil stabilization using steel slag,
Global Journal for Research Analysis, Volume-5, Issue-1, January -2016.
11. Chaudhary, P. N. and Pal, J. (2002) An Overview of Treatment of Steel- Making
Slag for Recovery of Lime and Phosphorus Values,
http://eprints.nmlindia.org/4220/1/186- 190- PN_chaudhury.PDF - accessed on 22
June 2016

42 | P a g e
 12. Chand, S., Paul, B., Kumar, M. (2015) An Overview of Use of Linz-Donawitz
(LD) Steel Slag in Agriculture. Curr World Environ 2015;10(3). doi :
http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CWE.10.3.29
13. Chand, S., Paul, B. and Kumar, M. (2016) Sustainable Approaches for LD Slag
Waste Management in Steel Industries: A Review, Metallurgist, Vol. 60, Nos. 1–2,
May, 2016, DOI 10.1007/s11015-016-0261-3
14. Das et al. (2007) An overview of utilization of slag and sludge from steel
industries, Resources, Conservation and Recycling 50 (2007) 40–57,
doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.05.008
15. Devi, V.S. and Gnanavel, B. K. (2014) Properties of concrete manufactured using
steel slag, 12th Global Congress on Manufacturing and Management, GCMM 2014,
Procedia Engineering 97 (2014) 95 – 104, doi: 10.1016/j.proeng.2014.12.229
16. Dhoble, Yogesh Nathuji and Ahmed, Sirajuddin, Use of Steel Slag as Engineering
Material and Its Limitations (June 18, 2012). CAN2012 Tenth AES-ATEMA
International Conference AES-ATEMA’ 2012 Tenth International Conference on
Advances and Trends in Engineering Materials and their Applications (Montreal,
Canada: June 18 – 22, 2012). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2157198
17. Deccan Herald (2016) http://www.deccanherald.com/content/418164/now-pwd-
use-slag- building.html – accessed on 17 May 2016
18. Dippenaar, R. (2004) Industrial uses of slag—The use and re-use of iron and
steelmaking slags, VII International Conference on Molten Slags Fluxes and Salts,
The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2004.
http://www.pyrometallurgy.co.za/MoltenSlags2004/057-Dippenaar.pdf - accessed on
4 June 2016
19. epa.gov, https://www3.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/imr/irc-meet/06-slag.pdf -
accessed on 15 May 2016
20. Firoz, A.S. (2014) Long Term Perspectives for Indian Steel Industry,
http://steel.gov.in/Long%20Term%20Perspectives.pdf – accessed on 12 June 2016
21. GOI, 2013-2014, Government of India, Outcome Budget of Ministry of Steel,
http://steel.gov.in/Outcome%20Budget%20 (2013- 14)/outcome%20budget.pdf
22. Huang, Y.H., Liu, C.J. (2008) Analysis on comprehensive utilization of electric
furnace slag. Ind Heat (in Chinese) 2008; 37(5):4-6.
23. Humam, T. and Siddique, R. (2013) Properties of Mortar Incorporating Iron Slag,
Leonardo Journal of Sciences, Issue 23, July-December 2013 p. 53-60

43 | P a g e
 24. Huang Yi et al. (2012) An overview of utilization of steel slag, Procedia
Environmental Sciences 16 (2012) 791 – 801
25. Humaria, M. S. Y. (2014) Impact of Iron and Steel Slag on Crop Cultivation: A
Review. Curr World Environ 2014;9(1). doi : http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CWE.9.1.31
26. http://blog.ficci.com/steel-slag/5291, accessed on 20 April 2016
27. http://pmgsy.nic.in/workshop.pdf - accessed on 14 June 2016
28. http://www.cpcb.nic.in/newitems/24.pdf - accessed on 15 June 2016
29.http://ibm.gov.in/writereaddata/files/11042015112113IMYB2014Slag(Advance)
31.http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp12/wgrep_cement.pdf
32. http://www.meconlimited.co.in/writereaddata/MIST_2016/sesn/tech_4/3.pdf -

44 | P a g e