In the European Union, Italy ranks second in terms of total steel production and first in terms of electric arc furnace steel production. Most of steel mills are located in the North of Italy and in particular in the Province of Brescia (Lombardy). This province is responsible of about 25% of the production of electric arc furnace slag at national level and the flows of this material are inevitably high. Steel slag can be classified as by-products or waste as a function of standards and production process. Unfortunately, a large amount of the slag produced is still classified as waste and destined to the landfill. Therefore, there is still significant need of increasing the recovery rate of by-products, achieving environmental and economic benefits, also according to the principles of Industrial Symbiosis. A deep analysis of the slag flows can be a useful tool to understand how producers interface with other entities involved in the steel industry (transporters, final users and/or disposers), to investigate the current state of treatment, recovery and/or disposal of this material and the prospects for improvement in the various sectors in which it could be recovered. Through regional data analysis, surveys and the use of the Mass Flow Analysis for the systematic assessment of the flows, this study aims to draw a detailed “picture” of the slag flows in the Province of Brescia, useful to identify possibilities of improvement in the management of this material and to plan paths of Industrial Symbiosis involving the companies.
Steel Slag Production and Recovery as Construction Material in the Province of Brescia: A Systematic Evaluation Through Mass Flow Analysis
A. Piemonti;A. Conforti;L. Cominoli;G. Plizzari;S. Sorlini
2021-01-01
Abstract
In the European Union, Italy ranks second in terms of total steel production and first in terms of electric arc furnace steel production. Most of steel mills are located in the North of Italy and in particular in the Province of Brescia (Lombardy). This province is responsible of about 25% of the production of electric arc furnace slag at national level and the flows of this material are inevitably high. Steel slag can be classified as by-products or waste as a function of standards and production process. Unfortunately, a large amount of the slag produced is still classified as waste and destined to the landfill. Therefore, there is still significant need of increasing the recovery rate of by-products, achieving environmental and economic benefits, also according to the principles of Industrial Symbiosis. A deep analysis of the slag flows can be a useful tool to understand how producers interface with other entities involved in the steel industry (transporters, final users and/or disposers), to investigate the current state of treatment, recovery and/or disposal of this material and the prospects for improvement in the various sectors in which it could be recovered. Through regional data analysis, surveys and the use of the Mass Flow Analysis for the systematic assessment of the flows, this study aims to draw a detailed “picture” of the slag flows in the Province of Brescia, useful to identify possibilities of improvement in the management of this material and to plan paths of Industrial Symbiosis involving the companies.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
