The European steel industry produces about 70 million tons/year of steel by the electric arc furnace (EAF). The slag consists of about 15% by weight of the produced steel, thus from the perspective of the circular economy, it has a high potential as a co-product. This research aims to assess an innovative reuse of EAF slag as filler in different polymer matrixes: thermoplastic (polypropylene), thermosetting (epoxy resin), elastomeric (nitrile butadiene rubber), and recycled end of life rubber tire. A comparison between neat polymer and polymer filled with a certain amount of EAF slag has been carried out by tensile (or flexural), compression, and hardness tests. Experimental results show that slag as a filler increases the composites’ hardness and elastic modulus at the expense of toughness. For a safe reuse of the slag, the leaching of hazardous elements must comply with current legislation. It was found that, although the used EAF slag releases small amounts of Cr, Mo, and V, incorporating it into a polymer matrix reduces the leaching. The EAF slag particles distribution has been observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. The obtained results show good technical feasibility of this innovative slag application so that it could pave the way to a new industrial symbiosis between dissimilar sectors, bringing economic and environmental benefits.

中文翻译：

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电弧炉渣作为不同聚合物基体填料的创新再利用

欧洲钢铁工业通过电弧炉（EAF）生产约 7000 万吨/年的钢材。炉渣约占生产钢重量的 15%，因此从循环经济的角度来看，它作为副产品具有很高的潜力。本研究旨在评估在不同聚合物基质中作为填料的创新型电炉渣再利用：热塑性（聚丙烯）、热固性（环氧树脂）、弹性体（丁腈橡胶）和回收的报废橡胶轮胎。通过拉伸（或弯曲）、压缩和硬度测试，对纯聚合物和填充了一定量电弧炉渣的聚合物进行了比较。实验结果表明，炉渣作为填料以牺牲韧性为代价增加了复合材料的硬度和弹性模量。为了炉渣的安全再利用，危险元素的浸出必须符合现行法规。发现虽然使用过的 EAF 炉渣会释放少量的 Cr、Mo 和 V，但将其加入聚合物基质中会减少浸出。已通过扫描电子显微镜 (SEM) 图像观察 EAF 炉渣颗粒分布。获得的结果表明，这种创新的炉渣应用具有良好的技术可行性，可以为不同部门之间的新工业共生铺平道路，带来经济和环境效益。