Toward future development: Pros and cons of ironmaking and steelmaking slags and mold fluxes

Abstract

Rationalization of the physical and chemical properties of ironmaking and steelmaking slags and mold fluxes helps optimize integrated steel production processes. Increased refining potential of the slags and fluxes can bring about improved quality at increased productivity of products. Waste slag evolution and energy consumption can also be decreased greatly. Important interactions between the slags/fluxes and processes in advanced steelmaking system are critically reviewed for future improvement, and key technological problems are depicted. The present state of the fundamental understanding of the above properties of the slags and fluxes is discussed, and future work is suggested to solve the problems.