“Granulated blast furnace slag 2.0” from future steelmaking

Abstract

To achieve the European target of minimizing CO ₂ emissions by 2050, various steel companies have set themselves the task of replacing the CO ₂ ‐intensive blast furnace with a combination of gas‐based direct reduction and electrical smelting of the solid direct reduced iron. The electrical smelting can be done in a classical electric arc furnace being established for scrap‐based steel production or in another aggregate called smelter or submerged arc furnace being new for pig iron making in industrial scale. Together with a direct reduction plant, thyssenkrupp Steel Europe builds two smelters at its Duisburg site. Tests in pilot‐scale demonstrate that water quenched smelter slag is glassy and has promising cement, concrete and environmental properties. Therefore, it is a promising new supplementary cementitious material.