Metallurgical Slags: Environmental Geochemistry and Resource Potential

Metallurgical slags are a by-product of smelting, but they are now recognized as a valuable resource with potential environmental benefits. This book explores their geochemistry, characteristics, and utilization as construction materials and filters for contaminants. It also highlights recent developments in recovering valuable metals from slags, contributing to a circular economy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 306 pages
Publication date: 13 August 2021
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry

Metallurgical slags are produced as a by-product of the smelting process during the production of iron, steel, ferroalloys, and non-ferrous metals. The formation conditions of these slags result in complex chemical and mineralogical characteristics that are unique to slags alone. Historically, slags have been considered waste and have posed a hazard to the environment and human health due to the release of potentially toxic trace elements. However, there is growing recognition of the resource potential of these materials, leading to efforts to reduce their environmental impact and move towards a more circular economy.

This book serves as a comprehensive reference on the environmental geochemistry and resource potential of metallurgical slags. It provides a detailed overview of the processes involved in slag generation, including the various types of slags and their composition. The book also delves into the chemical and mineralogical characteristics of slags, highlighting their unique properties and how they contribute to their environmental behavior.

Furthermore, the book explores the fundamental geochemistry that drives slag weathering, a process by which slags undergo chemical and physical transformations over time. This understanding is crucial in assessing the long-term sustainability of slag disposal and utilization strategies.

The book also highlights the valuable applications of metallurgical slags in modern society. Slags are widely used as construction materials in civil engineering, providing strength and durability to infrastructure projects. They are also irreplaceable as filters in various industries, such as mining, wastewater treatment, and waste management, for sequestering excess nutrients, pathogens, metal, and/or organic contaminants, and even greenhouse gases.

The latest developments in recovering residual valuable metals from slags, including new techniques for extracting by-product elements needed for green and frontier technologies, are also discussed in the book. This includes the use of advanced oxidation processes, leaching agents, and other innovative methods to maximize the recovery of valuable metals from slags, reducing waste and promoting resource efficiency.

Overall, this book is an essential reading for environmental geochemists, geologists, metallurgists, mining and civil engineers, waste and resource managers, and anyone interested in minimizing their environmental footprint and promoting a circular economy. It provides valuable insights into the environmental geochemistry and resource potential of metallurgical slags, highlighting their potential as a valuable resource in the pursuit of a sustainable future.

Weight: 627g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781788018876