Global Slag News

UK: SteelPhalt has launched a carbon-negative asphalt product called SteelSurf ECO+. The asphalt use 95% recycled steel slag with a lignin binder made from trees. The kraft lignin is supplied by GautamZenUK in collaboration with Stora Enso. It is used as an alternative to bitumen, which previous SteelPhalt asphalt products used instead.

"In our journey to become the world's most sustainable asphalt supplier, this is a huge step forward,” said Julian Smith, SteelPhalt Strategic Growth Director. “This product is an example of what our team’s collective passion for innovation and sustainability can deliver, while making the world a greener place.”

Steelphalt is a part of the Harsco Environmental division of US-based Harsco.

US: The Slag Cement Association (SCA) has announced the recipients of its 2021 Slag Cement in Sustainable Concrete Awards program. Thirteen construction projects were chosen to showcase the broad applications of slag cement and its impact on creating more durable and sustainable concrete. The infrastructure winners included projects with slag cement supplied by companies including Argos USA, Cemex, Lehigh Hanson, Ozinga, Skyway and St Mary’s Cement. These projects included work on roads, bridges, residential construction, a concert venue, a sport stadium, airports, a theme park and a hydroelectric dam. Two research projects on slag cement from Cleveland State University and Florida State University were also recognised.

India: The first steel slag road in India has been built in Surat, Gujarat. The 1.2km road is located at Hazira Port, according to the Times of India newspaper. It was constructed by using steel slag aggregate in place of natural aggregate. The higher strength of the material has also allowed for the thickness of the road to be reduced by 30%. Around 100,000t of steel slag was used. The joint project was a collaboration between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Central Road Research Institute, the Union Ministry of Steel, government think-tank NITI Ayog and ArcelorMtttal-Nippon Steel.

US: Cementos Argos subsidiary Argos Florida Cement has won the Slag Cement Association (SCA)’s Durability and Infrastructure awards at its 2022 Sustainable Concrete Project of the Year Awards. The producer won the awards for its supply of slag cement to two projects in Florida in 2021. Its involvement in the American Bridge Company’s SR 679 Pinellas Bayway Bridge – Structure E replacement won it the Durability award, while its involvement in Superior Paving’s State Road 52 realignment. Argos Florida Cement congratulated its customers, who also received the awards.

Finland: Betolar has signed a letter of intent with Australia-based RISAB and the Vanadium Recovery Project to research the use of slag ‘purified from vanadium’ in concrete production. Dow Jones Institutional News has reported that the company says that, through it Geoprime alkali-activated additive technology, the new slag source could replace 10% of the cement used in concrete production in Finland.

CEO Matti Löppönen said "We see a huge opportunity for Betolar here. If successful, we would be able to offer our customers a specific, currently unused slag of the steel industry to replace cement in concrete. Our customers already have experience in utilising other types of slag in the production of concrete using Geoprime. Utilising new side streams will expand the reach of our solution as planned.”

Betolar launched Geoprime in September 2021. It is currently developing a recipe-optimising artificial intelligence (AI) and data platform to bring together concrete producers and alternative raw material suppliers.