Steel Waste Valorisation - Steel Slag Waste Effect on Concrete Shrinkage

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials in the world. The production of Portland cement, an essential constituent of concrete, leads to the release of significant amounts of CO2. The global production of concrete represents more than 5% of the anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide every year, mainly from the production of cement. The replacement of cement by fly ash and other industrial waste, such as steel slag, is a good example of how resource conservation can be improved and contamination can be reduced. Future trends predicts an increment of the demand for steel, worldwide. The steelmaking process produces slags, ranging from 10 to 15% per ton of steel, however its reutilization is still reduced, being deposited in landfills. The technical feasibility of replacing a large part of the cement with blast furnace slag gave good results, nevertheless, it is crucial to study the short and long term shrinkage evaluation. Shrinkage crack reduction is an important factor on the durability point of view, as well as on its strength.