抄録
Blast furnace, converter and electric arc furnace (EAF) processes have produced iron and steel slag as byproducts. In terms of resource utilization, the EAF process making steel from scrap metals is superior to other steelmaking processes from iron ores or pig iron. Although all blast furnace slags can be completely recycled for use of steelmaking slag base and cement aggregate, parts of EAF slag ultimately end up in landfill sites. A laboratory-scale investigation was performed to develop novel applications of EAF slag in aquatic environments. To examine chemical properties of the EAF slag and the effects on organisms, strict experimental conditions were designed to elute the metal components of the slag using HCl based on JIS K 0058-1. Analysis of the chemical properties of the slag by ICP-AES and ICP-MS showed that the metal effluents from the slag were less than the concentrations defined by the environmental quality standards. Other analysis using a pH meter showed that the eluate in acidic freshwaters drastically changed their pH values from acidic to neutral. Regarding the effects of the slag on organisms, the eluate in acidic conditions notably induced proliferation of phytoplankton rather than cytotoxicity by improving the pH condition.
