Utilization of Industrial Slags in Sustainable Concrete Engineering
Summary
Industrial slags, the by-products of steelmaking, ferroalloy and blast furnace operations, have emerged as key resources in reducing the environmental footprint of concrete production. By partially substituting Portland cement, fine and coarse aggregates or serving as precursors in alkali-activated systems, slags diminish carbon dioxide emissions, conserve natural resources and divert waste from landfill. Blast furnace slag, when granulated and ground, contributes pozzolanic reactivity that enhances long-term strength and reduces permeability. Steel slag and ferrochrome slag, suitably processed, offer robust mechanical properties as aggregate replacements, improving abrasion resistance and dimensional stability. Silicomanganese slag exhibits both cementitious and granular capabilities, demonstrating pozzolanicity and acceptable fresh-state workability when used at moderate replacement levels. Recent advances in composite binder design combine low-carbon ferrochrome slag with granulated blast furnace slag under controlled activator regimes to tailor hydration products and pore structure. Across diverse climatic and loading conditions, engineered slag-based concretes display comparable or superior performance to conventional mixes, while supporting circular economy targets and infrastructure resilience on a global scale.
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Utilization of Industrial Slags in Sustainable Concrete Engineering publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in utilization of industrial slags in sustainable concrete engineering across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Supplementary cementitious material (SCM): A mineral addition that reacts with calcium hydroxide to form cementitious compounds, improving durability.
Pozzolanic reaction: A chemical process in which silica- and alumina-rich materials react with calcium hydroxide to form additional binding phases.
Alkali-activated slag: A binder produced by activating industrial slag with alkaline solutions, yielding a geopolymeric matrix.
Granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS): A rapidly cooled slag from ironmaking, ground to a fine powder for use as a cement replacement.
Hydration products: The crystalline and amorphous phases (e.g. C-S-H gel, ettringite) formed when cementitious materials react with water.
References
- Feasibility of silicomanganese slag as cementitious material and as aggregate for concrete. Construction and Building Materials (2023).
- Preparation and Hydration Mechanisms of Low Carbon Ferrochrome Slag-Granulated Blast Furnace Slag Composite Cementitious Materials. Materials (2023).
- Design and Study of Physical and Mechanical Properties of Concrete Based on Ferrochrome Slag and Its Mechanism Analysis. Buildings (2022).
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