Porous Fire-Resistant Materials Made from Alkali-Activated Electric Arc Furnace Ladle Slag

Abstract

The application of electric arc furnace ladle slag (EAF ladle slag) in cement products might be limited due to the volume expansion and volume instability created by late hydration. Proper control technique should be developed before the reuse of ladle slag (LS). With the addition of aluminum powder in alkali-activated slag pastes, porous materials were produced. By adjusting the activator modulus between 1.25 and 2.00, fine pores were produced in the foamed pastes, and the material densities were controlled between 594 and 1184 kg/m3. The compressive strengths increased from 0.95 to 9.04 MPa with the increase in density. Direct firing tests showed that the produced porous materials could resist fire damage. With low thermal conductivities range from 0.532 to 1.435 W/m·K, the temperatures in the back panel of the materials were below 100 °C, even under flames of 800 °C for 1 h, which were better than marketing rock wool. The alkali-activated technique was proven to be applicable for the manufacturing of porous fire-resistant materials from ladle slag in this research.