Use of iron and steel slags in concrete: State of the art and future perspectives

In the two last decades, world production of pig iron and steel has undergone a significant increase. In 2018, 1252.87 and 1806.46 million tons of pig iron and steel, respectively, were produced as compared to the 575.78 and 809.94 million tons of 2000. Consequently, the amount of the different types of slags deriving from these production processes has also increased considerably. In relation to the principles of sustainability and circular economy, the available literature suggests several possible reuses for these slags (bituminous conglomerates, hydraulic engineering, metallurgy, fertilizers, etc.). This paper aims to provide an overview of the iron and steel slags production and their reuse in concrete (for example as replacement of cement, fine or coarse aggregates). The characteristics of slags are analyzed in terms of chemical, physical, and mechanical properties. Mechanical and durability tests (both from material and structures point of view) carried out in the different studies and research are shown as well. Particular attention was devoted to electric arc furnace slags (EAF) since they are the most produced in Italy. Based on this deep literature review, the gaps that still require further studies have been identified and discussed.