Steelmaking slag set for role in roads
A project is underway that will investigate the re-use of steelmaking slag as an aggregate for roads
The UK steel industry generates thousands of tonnes of coarse steelmaking slag per year, which could be used a high-grade road surfacing material.
To this end, the Materials Processing Institute (MPI), along with industry and research partners, has secured a grant worth £118,363 to look at turning the waste product into a viable aggregate. The research is supported by Innovate UK as part of the Transforming Foundation Industries initiative.
Chris McDonald, chief executive of the Institute, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the funds for this innovative project that will seek to repurpose materials that are either already destined for landfill or difficult to reuse.”
According to the Institute, steelmaking slag is already crushed and used in the road construction process, but its currently approved 60 PSV (Polished Stone Value) level of skid resistance limits use on UK roads.
The 12-month project – which includes Tarmac, British Steel, Glass Futures Ltd and PWS road building services - will seek to increase the silica content of the slag, a by-product of basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS), to improve its quality and consistency and achieve a higher PSV classification.
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