Potencijalna valorizacija otpadne čelične zgure kao alternativnog materijala za kolničke slojeve (Potential valorisation of steel slag waste as an alternative material for pavement layers)

This paper aims to investigate the feasibility of using steel slag waste as an alternative material for pavement layers (sub-base and base layers). This waste is stored and landfilled at a steel production site in JORF LASFAR, city of El Jadida, Morocco. Samples of the waste were collected and underwent standard tests to determine its physical, chemical, mineralogical, and geotechnical properties. Furthermore, the steel slag waste cannot be used alone in pavement layers because of the low fraction of fine aggregates. Additionally, a sterile raw material (rock crushing waste) was used with the steel slag waste to obtain the required particle size distribution. Five mixtures of steel slag (SS) and sterile (ST) were formulated using the following proportions (% SS: % ST): M1 (30:70), M2 (40:60), M3 (50:50), M4 (60:40), and M5 (70:30). Geotechnical and mechanical standard tests were conducted on each mixture, including the M4 and M5 mixtures, to determine whether they met the required properties for a material used in the base layer. M2 to M5 mixtures also had the necessary properties for the sub-base layer. Finally, a sizing study was performed to obtain the thickness of pavement layers containing the formulated mixtures, which were found to be close to those of conventional materials.