Applications of steel industry waste slag: a comprehensive analysis

Due to growing energy prices and environmental laws, researchers are now compelled to focus on the reuse of large quantities of industrial by-products, such as blast furnaces, in material-intensive and energy-intensive industries, such as the construction and manufacturing of iron and steel. Globally, recycling initiatives for these waste materials have so far proven successful. They are now tough rivals to their industrial counterparts and have even excelled beyond their original use as blend or replacement materials in several circumstances. Waste heat recovery, including its utilisation for cement production in lieu of clinker, alongside other high-value applications, constitutes a suite of recycling strategies that have been extensively investigated to date. The ongoing work has progressed to the point that it is pushing the limits of increasingly sophisticated applications, such as surface engineering applications that employ various ceramic coating materials. This review study aims to provide an overview of and a collective approach to these uses in order to shed light on the ongoing efforts to maximise or enhance the use of blast furnace and steelmaking slag in a variety of applications and fields, as well as on new developments regarding the potential use of these waste materials in higher value-added applications.