In Europe, 15.2 million tonnes of steel slags have been generated in 2004 (Euroslag, 2006) out if which almost 6 million tonnes came from electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking and secondary metallurgical processes. In the presented project from Luleå University of Technology, two types of EAF slag and one slag originating from secondary metallurgical processes named ladle slag are investigated. The chemical and physical properties of these slags have been studied in detail (Herrmann, 2006; Andreas et al., 2005). For utilising steel slags in the liner of a landfill cover the long-term stability of the minerals is of great importance. Therefore, the ageing of steel slag minerals is evaluated with the help of a laboratory experiment. Particularly, the research questions, the experimental set-up and the methodology are presented. The present paper is part of a research project of the Division of Waste Science and Technology at Luleå University of Technology, Sweden in cooperation with Uddeholm Tooling AB, Hagfors municipality and MiMeR (Mineral and Metal Recycling Research Centre). It is investigated if steel slags are stable as a landfill cover liner material. The long-term stability is evaluated by determining the factors influencing the mineralogy of the slags and possible mineral transformations through ageing under the environmental conditions in a liner. The experiment includes two similar types of EAF slag and one ladle slag. Each steel slag sample is made by mixing 50% EAF slag and 50% ladle slag, addition of water and compaction. The specimens are stored in boxes under different atmospheric conditions. A reduced multivariate design has been chosen to determine the impact of different factors on the slag mineralogy. The factors that are varied in the experiment are relative humidity, carbon dioxide and temperature of the atmosphere surrounding the slag material as well as ageing time and the quality of the water used for sample making (see table 1). Table 1. Factorial design for ageing experiment of steel slagsLowMiddleHighRelative humidity30% -100%Carbon dioxide content0.036 (air)20 % * 100 %Temperature5 °C30 °C60 °CTime 1 month6 months1 yearWater quality destilled water -LeachateThe ageing of minerals is expected to initiate mineral transformations in steel slags. Primary phases will alter into secondary mineral phases. Changes in mineralogy can influence the stability of the liner. To evaluate mineralogy and properties of the aged steel slag, different analyses will be performed after the storage time of the specimens. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy as well as shear strength, acid neutralisation capacity and cation exchange capacity will be included. A possible mineral transformation for an alkaline material as steel slags can be the reaction of calcium ions from calcium silicates with the carbon dioxide resulting in the precipitation of calcium carbonate. Through this carbonation reaction, the transport of carbon dioxide into the bulk of the specimen could be hindered by the reaction products. Therefore, surface morphology can influence mineral transformations. First results and evaluations will be presented at the conference. REFERENCES Andreas L., Herrmann I., Lidstrom-Larsson M. & Lagerkvist A. (2005) Physical properties of steel slag to be reused in a landfill cover, Sardinia 2005, Tenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium, S. Margherita di Pula, Cagliari, Italy; 3 - 7 October 2005Euroslag (2006) Legal status of Slags. Position Paper. January 2006. The European Slag Association - EUROSLAG. Duisburg, Germany.Herrmann I. (2006). Use of Secondary Construction Material in Landfill Cover Liners. Licentiate Thesis. Luleå University of Technology, Sweden.