Blended Cement Mixed with Basic Oxygen Steelmaking Slag (BOF) as an Alternative Green Building Material

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Civil Engineering
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Portland cement production has significant negative environmental impacts, primarily CO2 emissions.
• There is a critical need for sustainable alternatives to reduce the carbon footprint of cementitious materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of blended Portland slag cement using basic oxygen steelmaking slag (BOF) as an eco-friendly building material.
• To evaluate the mechanical properties and hydration characteristics of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) enhanced with BOF slag.

Main Methods:

• Production of blended cement samples (OPC type I with BOF slag).
• Experimental measurement of compressive and flexural strengths.
• Numerical simulations for validation.
• X-ray diffraction (XRD), porosity tests, semi-adiabatic calorimetry, and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis.

Main Results:

• 5% BOF slag is identified as the optimal ratio for accelerating hydration and increasing hydration products, particularly at early ages.
• BOF slag addition enhances compressive strength of OPC, with significant increases observed at 5% concentration.
• SEM analysis shows BOF slag helps prevent and mitigate microcrack propagation in cement mortar.

Conclusions:

• Blended Portland slag cement with 5% BOF offers a promising environmentally friendly building material.
• The use of byproduct BOF slag in cementitious materials provides a sustainable approach to reduce CO2 emissions and improve material performance.
• This research contributes to a better understanding of utilizing waste materials for enhanced mechanical and electrical properties in green construction.