Leaching of slag must be limited when slag is used in other areas than landfill. As slag is composed of different minerals, the properties of slag, inter alia the dissolution, depend on these minerals. If the leaching properties of each mineral are known, counter measurements can be taken to prevent the leaching of unwanted elements. In this study, the dissolution of three common slag minerals will be examined. The three minerals; boron-stabilised β-dicalcium silicate, pseudowollastonite and monticellite were synthesised. The dissolution was measured by setting pH to 4, 7 or 10 and adding 0.05 g mineral in the size range 20-38 μm, and the HNO3 consumption required 3 to maintain the pH level was recorded during 40 h. As expected, the dissolution increases for all minerals when pH decreases. The boron- stabilised β-dical cium silicate was the only mineral fully dissolved at all pH levels, while pseudowollastonite and monticellite only dissolved completely at pH 4.

Slag produced as a by-product from steelmaking is not utilized to the extent that could be possible. In Sweden and Europe, too much steelmaking slag is still deposited in landfills. Of the slag that is re-used, most is used in road construction, whereas the amount used in other more high-value applications is very low. The main technical reasons for the limited re-use of steelmaking slags are usually: slag disintegration, slag expansion and leaching from the slag, of which the latter is the most difficult to control. This paper discusses the relationships between the mineralogy of steelmaking slag and factors such as leaching of chromium and ageing of the slag. Examples from laboratory experiments and full-scale trials to modify the slag are given.

Ovako Hofors has adopted a zero-waste vision. The purpose of this vision is to identify application areas for all residues as alternatives to deposition. In terms of tonnage, the largest residue from the steel production at Ovako in Hofors is the slag from the electric arc furnace, EAF. The properties of EAF slag make it an excellent construction material, for instance, as an aggregate in asphalt. The leaching of chromium must be controlled if the slag is to be used as construction material in an environmentally friendly way. Ovako Hofors is actively working to keep the leaching of chromium at a low level. Progress has been made earlier by introducing dolomite in the slag forming agents. Phases capable of stabilising chromium are spinels and solid solution of MgO. The aim of this work is to investigate if it is possible to completely prevent leaching of chromium by stabilising the solid solution of MgO by increasing the FeO content.All the experiments were performed in the EAF at Ovako Hofors. Three different methods to raise the FeO content in the slag were tried and evaluated. Slag produced earlier was used as reference samples. From each test, three different slag samples were collected and analysed. To evaluate the results SEM, XRD, leaching and chemical analyses were conducted.A new oxygen burner increased the iron oxide content, while the other two methods did not show any additional increase. Leaching of chromium could only be detected in a few of the slag samples. Although this makes correlations harder to see, it indicates that a higher FeO content may affect the leaching in a positive way. It was discovered that the leaching of chromium does not depend on the chromium content in the slag, thereby proving the hypothesis that chromium can be bound in stable phases to prevent it from leaching.