Steelmaking slag, a by-product of the steel-refining process, could be used for removing boron excess from irrigation natural and waste waters, due to its strongly alkaline reaction. The objectives of this study were to: (a) establish the optimum conditions (external solution/adsorbent ratio, equilibration time) of boron adsorption by the slag, (b) assess the slag’s capacity to adsorb boron, and (c) study boron desorption from the slag with time. Boron adsorption increased with the increase of the external solution/adsorbent ratio up to the ratio of 200:1. Although, almost 40% of boron was adsorbed within the first hour of equilibration period, the adsorption gradually increased until the 72 h. The Langmuir adsorption maximum for boron was 145 mg g⁻¹, considerably higher than other adsorbents, like fly ash, calcite, and magnesia. At boron initial concentrations lower than 6 mg L⁻¹, slag removed 55% of boron and reduced it below the permissible levels for irrigation waters (< 4 mg L⁻¹) for most crops. The pH of the equilibrium solution was 10.3 ± 0.8 and dropped to acceptable levels for irrigation waters (< 8.5), after contact with atmosphere for 1 week. Almost 25% of boron was released from samples of boron-laden slag during the first hour of desorption. Consequently, steelmaking slag can be used effectively for removing boron excess from irrigation waters. However, attention should be given to the pH of the slag-treated waters. Furthermore, the disposal of boron-laden slag to soils should be practiced with caution to avoid possible boron phytotoxicity risk.

炼钢渣是炼钢过程的副产品，由于其强烈的碱性反应，可用于从灌溉的天然废水和废水中去除过量的硼。这项研究的目的是：（a）确定炉渣对硼的吸附的最佳条件（外部溶液/吸附剂比率，平衡时间），（b）评估炉渣对硼的吸附能力，以及（c）研究硼的解吸随着时间的流逝。硼吸附随着外部溶液/吸附剂比率的增加而增加，直至200：1的比率。尽管在平衡期的第一个小时内几乎吸收了40％的硼，但吸附逐渐增加直到72 h。朗格缪尔对硼的最大吸附量为145 mg g ^-1，远远高于其他吸附剂，例如粉煤灰，方解石和氧化镁。在硼的初始浓度低于6 mg L ^-1时，炉渣去除了55％的硼并将其降低到灌溉水允许的水平以下（<4 mg L ^-1）用于大多数农作物。与大气接触1周后，平衡溶液的pH值为10.3±0.8，降至灌溉水的可接受水平（<8.5）。在解吸的第一小时内，从含硼炉渣样品中释放了几乎25％的硼。因此，炼钢炉渣可以有效地用于从灌溉水中去除过量的硼。但是，应注意渣处理水的pH。此外，应谨慎地将含硼炉渣处理到土壤中，以避免可能的硼植物毒性风险。