SLAG - IRON AND STEEL

Indian Minerals
Yearbook 2018
(Part- II : Metals and Alloys)

57th Edition

SLAG - IRON AND STEEL

(ADVANCED RELEASE)

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF MINES
INDIAN BUREAU OF MINES

Indira Bhavan, Civil Lines,

NAGPUR – 440 001

PHONE/FAX NO. (0712) 2565471

PBX : (0712) 2562649, 2560544, 2560648
E-MAIL : cme@ibm.gov.in
Website: www.ibm.gov.in

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16 Slag - Iron and Steel

PRODUCTION
S lag is a by-product generated during manufacturing
of pig iron and steel. It is produced by action of The slag produced at blast furnace during pig
various fluxes upon gangue materials within the iron iron manufacturing is called blast furnace slag. The
ore during the process of pig iron making in blast slag produced at steel melting shop is known as steel
furnace and steel manufacturing in steel melting shop. slag. Slag output obtained during pig iron and steel
Primarily, slag consists of calcium, magnesium, production is variable and depends mainly on
manganese and aluminium silicates and oxides in composition of raw materials and type of furnace.
various combinations. The cooling process of slag is Typically, for ore feed containing 60 to 65% iron,
responsible mainly for generating different types of blast furnace (BF) slag production ranges from about
slags required for various end-use consumers. 300 to 540 kg per tonne of pig or crude iron produced,
Although the chemical composition of slag may whereas in steel making 150 to 200 kg per tonne of
remain unchanged, physical properties vary widely slag is generated per tonne of liquid steel. Lower
with the changing process of cooling. grade ores yield much higher slag fractions,
In an integrated steel plant, 2-4 tonnes of wastes sometimes as high as one tonne of slag per tonne
(including solid, liquid and gas) are generated for every of pig iron produced. Steel slag output is
tonne of steel produced. Pertinently, the concerns of approximately 20-30 % by mass of the crude steel
today are to pay adequate emphasis on minimising output in the country.
waste generation, recycling and re-use of waste, and Ferro Scrap Nigam Ltd (FSNL), a wholly owned
minimising the adverse impact of disposals to the subsidiary of MSTC Ltd rendering its specialised
environment. T h e m a j o r w a s t e s p r o d u c e d i n services of scrap and slag management to plants at
integrated steel plants (ISP) include BF iron slag. SAIL-Rourkela, Burnpur, Bhilai, Bokaro, Durgapur,
Total steel slag accounting for nearly more than Bhadravati, Salem, RINL-Visakhapatnam,
half a tonne for each tonne of steel produced in NINL-Duburi, BHEL-Haridwar, RWF (Rail Wheel
ISPs. Among all the solid/liquid wastes, slags Factory) - Bengaluru and also from Air India-Mumbai.
generated at iron making and steel making units are in During the year 2017-18 (up to Dec, 2017) recovered
such a large quantities that management of slag has a scrap of 23.39 lakh tonnes.
become a critical component of steel production. With
During the year 2017-18, Tata Steel, Jharkhand
increasing capacities, the mechanism for disposal of
& Odisha reported production of Granulated slag
large quantities of slag that get generated have gained
& BF slag at 3,754,185 tonnes & 1,406,656 tonnes,
traction as the environmental issues that it could evoke
respectively. Vedanta Ltd., Goa reported production
could become critical for steel makers. Over the last
of 241,885 tonnes of Granulated slag. Bhilai steel plant
few years, with better understanding of slags, its
reported production of 1,350,817 tonnes of
functions and improvements in process technologies
granulated slag. KIC Metaliks, West Bengal reported
have led to a significant reduction in the volume of
production of 41,365 tonnes of granulated slag. Uttam
slag generated. At the same time, the re-use of iron and
Galva Mettalics reported production of 331,077
steel has led to a significant reduction in the
tonnes of Granulated Slag.
environmental impact of these by-products. However,
slag generation remains inevitable and emphasis on its The information regarding plant-wise
recycling remains one of the most serious concerns capacity of iron and steel slag in the country is
that needs redressal. given in Table- 1.

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Table – 1 : Plant-wise Capacity of Iron and controlled cooling, the slag tends to be hard and
Steel Slag in the Country
dense, making it especially suitable for use in ready-

Steel Plant Capacity mixed concrete, concrete products, road bases and
('000 tpy) similar applications in construction.

Bhilai Steel Plant, Durg, Chhattisgarh 2675 Granulated slag is produced by quenching the
molten slag by means of high-pressure water jets.
Bokaro Steel Plant, Bokaro, Jharkhand 7884
Quenching prevents crystallisation, thus resulting
Rourkela Steel Plant, Rourkela, Odisha 1570
in granular, glassy aggregates. This slag is crushed,
Durgapur Steel Plant, Durgapur,
pulverised and screened for use in various
West Bengal 566
applications, particularly in cement production
IISCO Steel Plant, Burnpur, West Bengal 400
because of its pozzolanic characteristics.
kg/THM*

Visvesvaraya Iron & Steel Plant, 400 Steel plants utilise cold slag for internal
Bhadravati, Karnataka kg/THM* consumption and also for outside sale. The slag
Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd, after cooling is crushed and used as road metal and
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh 1440 railway ballast. Granulated slag produced in steel
IDCOL Kalinga Iron Works Ltd, plants is also sold outside to cement plants. Slag
Barbil, Odisha 53 application also reduces the overall cost of
JSW Steel Ltd, Ballari, Karnataka NA production of cement. JSPL has established Nandyal
Tata Steel Ltd, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand 2100 works, Andhra Pradesh & Vijaynagar works,

Visa Steel Ltd, Kalinganagar, Odisha 175

Karnataka and Dolvi works, Maharashtra of 4.80
MTPA & 0.60 MTPA and 2.20 MTPA cement plant to
Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd -
produce portland slag cement (PSC) and Ground
Kalinganagar, Odisha
Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) by utilising
*THM : Tonne Hot Metal blast furnace slag as raw material.

Blast Furnace Slag Expanded slag is formed through controlled

cooling of molten slag in water or water with
In the blast furnace, the slag floating over molten
c o m b i n a t i o n o f s t e a m a n d c o m p r e s s e d a i r.
pig iron (hot metal) is flushed out in slag pot and
Formation of steam and other gases enhances the
then sent to slag granulating plant or to cooling pits.
porosity and vesicular nature of slag, resulting in
Depending upon the cooling process, three light weight aggregate suitable for use in concrete.
types of slags are generated, namely, air-cooled However, expanded slag is not produced at any
slag, granulated slag and expanded slag. domestic iron and steel plant.

Air-cooled slag is produced by allowing the A fourth product made from blast furnace slag
molten slag to cool under atmospheric conditions is mineral wool/slag wool. Cooled slag for this
in a pit. Under slow cooling conditions, escaping purpose is melted and poured through an air
gases leave behind porous and low-density stream or a jet of dried stream of other gases to
aggregates with special physical properties, making produce a spray of molten droplets or the same is
it suitable for many applications. When formed under also formed by passing the melt through a

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perforated or fast-spinning disc. The droplets accelerated ageing process that reduces the free
elongate to long fibres, which are collected lime content. Because of rapid cooling, it generates
mechanically and layered. The material has more glassy structure than the BOF slag. Removal
excellent thermal insulation properties. of free lime also confirms its volumetric stability.

The five different slags generated at various

Steel Slag
points of the steel making process are described below:
BOF slag, commonly known as steel slag is
HMT Slag: This slag is primarily generated after
another waste from Iron & Steel Industry. It has
de-siliconisation or de-phosphorisation treatment. It
shown potential for use as a raw mix component
has high content of silica and lime. Sometimes it also
up to 10% in the manufacture of cement clinker.
contains BF slag.
Steel slag can also replace granulated blast furnace
HMDS Slag: This is the raked slag at the de- slag up to 10% in the manufacture of Portland Slag
sulfurisation station. These slags are poorly Cement. Steel slags are produced at steel melting
mixed composites of spilled BF slag, spent and/or shop during steel manufacturing. To produce
unreacted de-sulfurisation agents, lime fines and steel, removal of excess silicon and carbon from
trapped droplet of hot metal and raked iron. iron is achieved through oxidation by adding

L D S l a g: These slags are a well mixed limestone and coke. The steel slag contains

aggregate of FeO, lime, silica and MgO generated higher amount of iron and its physical

at the LD converter. They are in the form of di- characteristics are similar to air-cooled iron slag.

calcium and tri-calcium silicates. These slags also The LD slag is cooled, crushed and screened.

contain free lime and metal, which create problems The fines are utilised in sinter making and lumps

due to expansion characteristics. are charged in the blast furnace.

Steel Slag: These slags vary in composition The iron content is the major basic difference

with respect to the varied treatment. The common between BF slag and steel slag. In BF slag, FeO

steel slags are fused calcium aluminates with less is around 0.70%, whereas in case of steel slag,

than 2% (FeO + MnO). These readily crumble to total iron content varies from 16 to 25%.

dust due to allotropic phase transformation at JSW Steel has set up a unique BOF slag
lower temperatures and are difficult to manage. granulation plant, producing slag with lower free

SGP Slag: LD slag is subjected to granulation lime content and is vigorously pursuing with BIS.

through a quenching technology adopted at JSW, JSPL has set up a plant to produce around 4.0

which houses the first of its kind in India. Due to lakh brick products/day by utilising fly ash and

sudden quenching of the molten slag, contraction slag generated from integrated steel plant.

of metal and slag occurs and results in good The chemical analysis of granulated BF slag
separation of metal and slag. Adequate and steel slag generated in steel plants is given
granulation takes place and leads to good stability in Table - 2.
of the final slag. Process can be described as an

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Table – 2 : Chemical Composition of Slag Generated in Steel Plants

Chemical composition (%) Physical

Name of plant Slag properties

SiO2 Al2O 3 CaO MgO MnO FeO S Basicity

(CaO/SiO2)

Bhilai Steel Plant, BF 34.52 20.66 32.43 10.09 0.23 0.57 0.77 – –
Durg, Chhattisgarh.
Steel 14.20 1.40 42.90 9.59 1.69 18.20 1.70 – –

Bokaro Steel Plant, BF 30.06 21.12 32.48 10.12 _ 0.26 _ _ _

Bokaro, Jharkhand. to to to to to
31.85 22.71 34.17 10.39 _ 0.37 – – _

Steel 12.15 1.07 46.52 8.14 _ 17.01 _ _ Size: 0-5 mm

to to to to to & 10-40 mm
15.82 1.63 53.52 13.12 18.58 – – –

Rourkela Steel Plant, BF 34.38 17.82 32.99 9.29 0.07 0.46 0.47 0.96 –
Rourkela, Odisha. to to to to to to to to
34.85 20.91 34.26 9.68 0.12 0.58 0.61 0.98
Steel 13.7 1.82 44.4 6.7 0.81 22.6 0.09 3.28

Durgapur Steel Plant, BF 32.68 21.23 32.14 _ _ _ _ _ _

Durgapur, West Bengal. Steel 17.9 1.0 49.4 _ _ _ _ _ _

Visvesvaraya Iron & BF 32 18 33 9 _ 0.5 _ _ Size : 1 to 5

Steel Plant, Bhadravati, mm Lumps
Karnataka. Steel 30-35 1-2 35-40 9-11 _ 10-15 – – 300 mm &
above
IISCO Steel Plant BF 32.60 23.30 33.70 7.60 – – – – –
Burnpur, West Bengal.

Rashtriya Ispat Nigam BF 35.33 16.60 36.89 8.48 0.12 0.51 – – Size : -3 mm
Ltd, Visakhapatnam,
Andhra Pradesh. Steel 17.69 1.07 50.70 10.31 1.05 16.50 1.40 – Size : +10 mm
to (-)60 mm

IDCOL, Kalinga Iron BF 33.00 24.00 29.00 8.00 0.50 0.70 1.00 – Size : 0 to
Works Ltd, Barbil, to to to to to to 6 mm
Odisha. 34.00 25.00 30.00 9.00 0.60 0.80

Tata Steel Ltd, BF 34.5 20.8 34.3 7.3 0.052 0.6 – – -100 mesh
Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. to
+ 1 mm
Steel 12.65 1.16 46.23 1.76 0.45 25.06 0.33 – 0 mm to
+ 300 mm
(Fe)
JSW Steel Ltd, BF 35.20 19.00 34.90 8.76 0.14 0.039 – – –
Ballari, Karnataka
Visa Steel Ltd, BF 33.8 15.39 35.38 10.25 0.64 0.74 0.92 – Size : 0-5 mm
Kalinganagar, Odisha. & 10-40 mm

Neelachal Ispat
Nigam Ltd, BF 32.62 32.62 33.25 9.91 0.40 0.55 0.62 – –
Kalinganagar, Odisha.
Source: Returns received under Rule 45 of MCDR 2017.

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USES hammers into smaller pieces and supplied to the

Slag , based on their types, has different uses. various end-use consumers.
The air-cooled BF slag is crushed, screened and The utilisation of SMS (particularly LD) slag
used mainly as road metal and bases, asphalt is limited due to its (i) Phosphorous content
paving, track ballast, landfills and concrete (ii) high free lime content and (iii) higher specific
aggregate. The expanded or foamed slag binds well weight.
with cement and is used mainly as aggregate for
light weight concrete. However, it is not produced
CONSUMPTION
by domestic steel plants. Granulated BF slag is The BF slag in India is used mainly in the
used as a pozzolanic material for producing cement manufacture and in other unorganised
portland slag cement. It is also used for soil work, such as, landfills and railway ballast. A small
conditioning. BF slag is used in making mineral quantity is also used by the Glass Industry for
wool for insulation purposes. making slag wool fibres. Cement plants in the
Steel slag has found use as a barrier material country producing slag cement require BF slag in
remedy for waste sites where heavy metals tend granulated form. The chemical analysis of
to leach into the surrounding environment. Steel granulated slag consumed during the manufacture
slag forces the heavy metals to drop out of of slag cement is provided in Table-3. Also, the
solution in water run off because of its high oxide Consumption of slag/granulated slag in cement
mineral content. Steel slag has been used production for 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 is
successfully to treat acidic water discharges from furnished in Table-4.
abandoned mines. SAIL utilised about 88.47% and 57.55% of BF
Slags are useful alternative raw material for slag and LD slag, respectively, generated during
clinker production and such use can reduce a April - November, 2017. SAIL also incresed BF
cement plant's fuel consumption and overall slag utilisation by more than 1%. Around
emission of carbon dioxide per tonne of 11,90,745 tonnes of BF Slag was generated by
cement.The granulated slag obtained from various RINL and 17,74,716 tonnes was utilised, achieving
steel plants is dried in slag dryer. The clinker is utilisation of 149.04 % (up to Dec'17). Also,
ground in ball mill with 40-50% dry slag and 6% 4,66,582 tonnes of LD Slag was generated and
gypsum. The resultant product is portland slag 89,474 tonne was utilised in Sinter Plant, achieving
cement. Portland blast furnace slag cement utilisation of 19.18 % (up to Dec'17). TSL waste
contains up to 60% ground granulated slag from utilisation is around 80% level with 100% inline
steel production processes. BF slag granulation is done. A Metal recovery
plant from LD slag is installed and commissioned
Slag cement has low heat of hydration, low
alkali aggregate reaction, high resistance to in June 2017; steam ageing plant is under

chlorides and sulphate and it can substitute the construction for non-metallic portion. The prices
use of 43 and 53 grades of ordinary Portland of BF slag vary from plant to plant. Depending
Cement. For other consuming sectors like road upon the distance between cement plants and the
making, landfilling and ballasting, the cooled slag steel plants, much variation is observed in prices
is crushed by machines or broken manually by of granulated slag.

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Table – 3 : Analysis of Granulated Slag Consumed for the Manufacture of Slag Cement

Analysis in %

Cement plant SiO2 Fe2O3 / MgO Al2O3 / CaO S/SO3 MnO Insoluble Glass content
FeO MnO 2 residue & size
ACC, Jamul, 33.0 1.0 9.0 21.5 33.0 0.40 – –
Durg, Chhattisgarh. to to to to to to
33.4 1.4 9.8 22.4 33.8 0.48
ACC, Jhinkpani, 32.80 0.4 7.2 23.3 32.6 0.80 – 0.80 >79%
W. Singhbhum, Jharkhand.
ACC Ltd, 33.69 0.63 9.07 19.38/ 35.13 0.58 – - -
Bargarh Cement Works, 0.61
Bardol, Bargarh, Odisha.
Andhra Cements Ltd, 33.32 0.46 8.86 17.98 34.75 – 0.10 – –
Visakhapatnam, to to to to to to
Andhra Pradesh. 35.19 0.50 9.91 19.35 35.98 0.16

Century Cement, – – 5.5 17.0 – 2.0 – – –

Baikunth, Raipur, (max.) (max.) (max.)
Chhattisgarh.

Penna Cement Industries 32.00 3.50 10.0 18.50 34.92 – – – size : 0-2 mm
Ltd, Anantapur,
Andhra Pradesh.

Shri Durga Cement 30.00 0.80 8.00 24.00 34.00 0.80 0.2 2.4 –
Co. Ltd,
Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.

Table – 4 : Consumption of Slag/Granulated Slag in Cement Production, 2015-16 & 2017-18

(In tonnes)
Cement plant 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18
ACC Ltd, Durg, Chhattisgarh. 621643 - -
Ambuja Cement, 6710 - -
Gir Somnath, Gujarat.
Vishnupuram, Wadapally, Nalgonda, Telangana 31444 34414 35640
(Granulated Slag)
UltraTech Cement Ltd, 493434 - -
(Rawan Cement Works)
Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
The RAMCO Cements Ltd, 60113 - -
Krishna, Andhra Pradesh.
The RAMCO Cements Ltd,
Alathiyar, Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu.
Granulated Slag 19848 - -
Slag 49054 - -
EOF Slag 45958 - -
Vijay Cements, 3258 0 -
Trichy, Tamil Nadu.
The RAMCO Cements Ltd, 112239 - -
Govindpuram, Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu.
Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd, 190 6084 -
Yadwad, Belagavi, Karnataka
Bagalkot Cement & Industries Ltd, 102874 - -
Bagalkot, Karnataka.
Source: Returns received under Rule 45 of MCDR 2017.

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RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT Imports

Increased utilisation of granulated slag The imports of slag increased sharply to
benefits the portland cement producers. Producers 171 thousand tonnes in 2017-18 from 114 tonnes
can enhance the production capacity without in the previous year. Imports were mainly from
additional greenhouse gas emissions like carbon France (54%), Japan (28%) and Korea, Rep. of
dioxide. (19%) (Table-6).
SAIL is exploring use of air cooled BF slag in Table – 5 : Exports of Slag (Dross, etc. from
construction of rigid concrete pavement in RDCIS Iron & Steel excl. granulated)
complex. (By Countries)
RINL is working on Re-design of emergency
2016-17 (R) 2017-18 (P)
containers for slag/steel dumping to eliminate the
Country
need of refractory lining.
Qty Value Qty Value
TSL, Jamshedpur is working on utilisation of (t) (`'000) (t) (`'000)
BF slags as flux in chromite pelletising along with
improvement in pellet property. All Countries 384821 1390367 279098 1032990

Granulated BF slag may be used for cement China 211715 813827 128196 447874

production and other value added products Philippines 141054 492883 89149 345053
Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) is Bhutan 1239 4885 25590 118095
also used as a mineral additive for concrete
Japan - - 12500 43622
production and substitutes for cement. Efforts are
now being made to use GBFS in geo-polymer for Nepal 26568 63153 12312 38445
construction purpose. The BOF slags are suitable Malaysia 2836 9700 10013 32607
material for the base and sub-base layer of road
Spain - - 54 2586
because of the hard characteristics. Investigation
on the mineralogy and physical properties of BOF Qatar ++ 2 840 2428
slag have shown that it would make an excellent Angola - - 158 1016
road stone. The BOF slag of various ages has been Bahrain - - 140 543
used in the construction of the wearing course of
Other countries 1409 5917 146 721
several works and public roads. Nippon slag
Association in Japan is researching converter slag
utilisation in port and harbor construction and the
Table – 6 : Imports of Slag (Dross, etc. from
use of EAF oxidizing slag as concrete aggregate. Iron & Steel excl. granulated)
The utilisation of SMS (particularly LD) slag (By Countries)
is limited due to its (i) Phosphorous content (ii)
high Free lime content and (iii) higher specific 2016-17 (R) 2017-18 (P)
weight. To resolve these issues, Ministry of Steel Country
has constituted a Task Force for promotion and Qty Value Qty Value
utilisation of Iron and Steel Slag. The subject (t) (`'000) (t) (`'000)

matter is also being monitored by NITI Aayog.

All Countries 113818 496506 171472 1026483

FOREIGN TRADE France - - 91970 496507

Exports Japan 58410 231072 47210 345684

Exports of slag (dross, etc.) in 2017-18 Korea, Rep. of 55368 265103 32275 182471
decreased to about 279 thousand tonnes from 385 Spain - - 17 1818
thousand tonnes in the previous year. Exports
China - - ++ 3
were mainly to China (46%), Philippines (32%) and
Bhutan (9%) (Table-5). Vietnam Soc. Rep. 40 331 - -

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FUTURE OUTLOOK PSC have multiple benefits of tangible and

intangible dimensions. There is scope for further
Slag is used as substitute for clinker. This consumption of granulated slag in order to
slag otherwise would have been a waste and used enhance the total production of cement. Slag is
as a filler material. Slag, if used properly, also a sustainable product that can be recycled
will conserve valuable limestone deposits required and reused multiple times in various construction
for production of cement. projects. Using iron and steel furnace slag helps
Portland Slag Cement (PSC) has advantages to preserve our natural resources, and reduces
of better performance, durability and optimal green house gases.
production cost, besides being eco-friendly. Currently, the Government has plans to
Currently, the laws in India allow up to 65% introduce a fourth type of cement in the market,
replacement of the clinker with steel slag. It is an Pozzolona Slag Cement, which will contain both
eco-friendly alternative as it reduces energy steel slag and fly-ash. The potentiality for
intensity by 30% and water demand by 12-14% consumption of slag in cement manufacture is
for 50% slag replacement. Blended cements like bound for substantial rise in near future.

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