Global Slag News

World: World Steel Association data shows that crude steel production grew by 14.4% to 1Bt in the first half of 2021. Production in Africa and South America rebounded the fastest although these areas are amongst the smallest production regions. China produced 563Mt of crude steel in the reporting period, a rise of 11.8%, much more than Africa and South America combined. India, the next biggest manufacturer, produced 57.9Mt, a rise of 31.3%.

Romania: Liberty Galați said in June 2021 that it exported 50,000t of granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) to France. The steel company said that a French cement producer will use the GBFS along with clay and gypsum in clinker-free cement production. The alternative cement reduces CO₂ emissions by 80% compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC), according to the supplier. Liberty Galați’s operations generate 500,000t/yr of GBFS. It says that it has cement industry customers across Europe and Africa.

General Director Aida Nechifor said “Our ambition to become carbon neutral by 2030 involves a new metallurgical route – using direct iron reduction and smelting in electric arc furnaces – increased scrap metal recycling and a transition to domestically-generated green energy. However, we are very happy to be able to ensure that even the by-products of our current production process, such as GBFS, can be used better to help reduce the carbon footprint of other products.”

UK: Hanson’s Regen Ground Granulated Blast furnace Slag (GGBS) product is being used by BAM Nuttall and Network Rail in the first and second phase of building a new sea wall in Dawlish, Devon. So far 4600m³ has been supplied to the project that is intended to protect a railway line from the sea. The bespoke mix being utilised for the project uses Regen GGBS to create a pumpable low carbon concrete that is strong enough to withstand erosion, waves and storm winds while reducing the amount of carbon generated by two-thirds.

“From the earliest phase of this project, we have considered how this scheme can limit its environmental impact without compromising the strength and resilience of the structure. The final design uses piles buried deep in the bedrock to create stability for the structure. Those piles are protected by prefabricated facing panels created off-site and reinforced by concrete poured in behind the visible section of wall,” said Jack Brookes, site agent for BAM Nuttall.

The project has also had to face difficult logistical, technical and operational challenges created by pouring large amounts of high specification concrete up to 200m through the night in very short tidal windows. Hanson plans to supply a further 4500m³ of concrete to the project.

US: Workers have shipped the first load of slag extracted from the East Helena slag heap in Montana. KXLH Helena has reported that South Korea-based Korea Zinc Company has bought the 2.0Mt slag heap from the site of the former ASARCO foundry. The company plans to extract zinc and other metals from the slag before using the remainder in cement production. It was originally created as a by-product of lead production at the site.

Vietnam: The government has encouraged cement producers to increase their uptake of waste products, including slag, in cement production. The Viet Nam News newspaper has reported that the government has asked the Ministry of Construction and related agencies to complete the formulation of technical standards, regulations and instructions in relation to the use of slag as well as researching new applications for it. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has also started inspecting storage sites to ensure that it doesn’t exceed two years worth of production. The government initiative has been made in response to rising stockpiles of slag, ash and gypsum.