Project One : Development of steel slag and their derivatives in wastewater decontamination processes

The industrial by-product known as steel slag (SS) is generated during the iron and cast iron manufacturing process; it accounts for almost 30% of the total production, making it a considerable volume. SS is indeed used in road surfacing and the creation of construction materials; however, a significant portion is usually disposed of in landfills, which can lead to soil and groundwater pollution. Open storage of these elements could lead to the same consequences. Given the importance of preserving resources and reducing our environmental impact, it is essential to find an innovative solution to convert SS into high value materials, in line with the principles of sustainable development.

Considering these factors, we will focus our research by first seeking to valorize SS to make it a product with high added value, and then by applying it to the field of wastewater decontamination. Considering these factors, we will focus our research by first seeking to valorize SS to make it a product with high added value and then by applying it to the field of wastewater decontamination.

In the literature, it has been cited that various adsorbents were formulated from steel slag. For example, hydroxyapatite-zeolite material, slag oxalate, silica nanoparticles, and the Tobermorite hydrothermal.

The main objective of this study is to contribute to the conversion of SS and the valorization of SS and its derivatives in water decontamination processes. In this work, the treated and modified SS structure was examined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), and its specific surface area was defined by the Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller model (BET model). Contact time, stirring speed, adsorbent dosage, medium pH, medium temperature, solid particle size, and initial solution concentration were used to improve and optimize this process. The interaction was explained by adsorption isotherm models specific to adsorption processes, namely the Freundlich, Langmuir, and Temkin models. The kinetics were studied using pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, and diffusion models. The thermodynamic study allowed to determine the nature of this process.