Air-cooled stainless steel slag

In the UK, stainless steel making is a two stage process generating two distinct types of slag.

Primarily, stainless steel scrap is melted in an arc furnace in the same way as for carbon steel scrap. The slag from this process is also handled and processed in a similar manner to EAF slag.

Following the melting of the steel scrap in the arc furnace, the liquid steel is transferred to a secondary vessel for refining. This is known as the Argon Oxygen De-carburisation (AOD) process and generates a slag that will normally fall to powder due to the phase changes on cooling. There is currently no use for this powder and environmentally it is a very difficult material to handle. However, if stabilised in the molten state, by a boron additive, the slag will cool to form a crystalline solid, having similar properties to those of natural aggregates.

Both these slag types are used as aggregate for the production of asphalt surfacing materials.

For more information contact John Bullock

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