MECHANICAL AND STRUCTURAL EVALUATION OF SECUNDARY REFINING SLAG ADDITION VIA ELECTRIC STEEL WORKS IN CERAMIC MATERIAL AS A FUNCTION OF WASTE STORAGE TIME

Abstract

Characterization and segregation are steps that indicate the potential for recycling solid waste. For the recycling of secondary refining slag there are no consolidated applications, due to its high density, as well as its expansive characteristic when exposed to the environment in its early stabilizing ages, which makes it possible to value it as a co-product, minimizing waste in landfills and the environmental impact generated. In the laboratory, ceramic specimens containing slag from the secondary refining of an electric steel works were produced in the laboratory to assess their influence of storage time on mechanical and structural properties. The slags and the clay were previously characterized and, in the established lines, the properties of mechanical resistance in flexion, water absorption and apparent porosity were
analyzed. The linear shrinkage in both samples was greater after drying than after sintering and the results showed a decrease in mechanical strength in the addition of 10 and 15 % slag with 1 day of storage, whereas in 45 days of storage, the properties were better, which indicates the potential for addition in ceramic material under the evaluated conditions. In this sense, the storage time must be extended to ensure the stabilization of the residue, which means minimizing the presence of free lime in the co-product that generates expandability when mixed with water during the drying and sintering processes of the ceramic material.