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ASMS Joins Forces with UOW to Seek Alternative Composite Steel Furnace Slag
ASA member, Australian Steel Mill Services (ASMS) has joined forces with the University of Wollongong (UOW) to commence a new research project at the Steel Research Hub.
The research project entitled Transport Infrastructure Construction Using Steel Furnace Slag (SFS) will be undertaken by a PhD student at UOW with a focus on developing an alternative composite SFS material for transport infrastructure construction, in partnership with UOW-based supervisors and industry partners.
The Steel Research Hub facilitates research projects with an overarching goal to support the transition of Australia's steel manufacturing industry into a more sustainable position by adopting practices and advanced manufacturing processes that help to reduce emissions and reach net zero.
SFS is the co-product of the steel-making process in the basic oxygen system (BOS). The slag is removed from the vessel after the exothermic refinement of molten iron and recycled steel in the presence of fluxes and oxygen. This process has limited applications compared to ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) because of its potentially expansive properties when hydrated.
Technical research undertaken in this project will explore possibilities of utilising SFS in engineering applications and integrating it with byproducts from other industrial processes. For example, SFS can be blended with by-product materials such as coal wash, plastic, cement, lime, or lignosulfonate, and serve as a landfill or a pavement material. The Australian Steel Mill Services (ASMS) is a joint venture between Cement Australia and Edward C Levy Co (USA) to service the slaghandling contract at BlueScope Port Kembla NSW. ASMS are contracted to collect and treat molten slag from the blast furnace and steel-making processes. Each year, ASMS process and market approximately 1.2 million tonnes of slag. The UOW research team consists of multi-skilled individuals, with project leader Associate Professor Jayan S Vinod, Dr Pabasara Wanniarachchige, and PhD candidate Yeshwant Sunkara. The team will assess the engineering behaviour of the steel slag mixtures to try and optimise the mix designs with additives of other waste streams for the beneficial use in transport infrastructure construction.
We're excited to see institutions collaborating with critical industry partners in the form of Mr. Gavin Tory, Chair of the Australasian (iron & steel) Slag Association (ASA) and his ASMS colleague, Mr. Benjamin Muscat.
