Blending Linz–Donawitz and Blast Furnace slags with the Kambara reactor byproduct to improve their reuse in roadworks

The use of industrial byproducts as replacement of natural aggregates has been extensively investigated to design eco-friendly roads. One of the most examined byproducts for this purpose is steel slag. However, existing studies do not explore the blending of different slags to enhance the engineering performance of base layers. The applicability of Linz–Donawitz (LD), Blast Furnace (BF) and Kambara Reactor (KR) steel byproducts is evaluated as a single base layer for rural (unsurfaced) roads in Brazil. A series of laboratory experiments were performed to assess the characteristics of eight soil-byproduct mixtures with 50% and 75% byproduct contents, including new blends of LD/KR and BF/KR slags. Additionally, the most suitable mixture was proposed considering different performance indicators. Results demonstrate the coarse-grained, nonplastic and non-expansive nature of the byproducts, with CBR values higher than 100%. The more byproduct added to soil, the larger is the strength and the lower the expansion. The mixture with 75% of the proposed LD/KR blend and 25% of a clayey soil was considered as optimum, based on a trade-off between engineering properties, environmental impacts, and material costs. Findings and discussions are relevant to reduce waste stockpiles of steel companies, helping engineers and policy makers reuse blended slag byproducts.