Mineral carbonation of metallurgical slags

Due to increasing emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere number of methods are being proposed to mitigate the risk of climate change. One of them is mineral carbonation. Blast furnace and steel making slags are co-products of metallurgical processes composed of minerals which represent appropriate source of cations required for mineral carbonation. Experimental studies were performed to determine the potential use of slags in this process. Obtained results indicate that steel making slag can be a useful material in CO₂ capture procedures. Slag components dissolved in water are bonded as stable carbonates in the reaction with CO₂ from ambient air. In case of blast furnace slag, the reaction is very slow and minerals are resistant to chemical changes. More time is needed for minerals dissolution and release of cations essential for carbonate crystallisation and thus makes blast furnace slags less favourable in comparison with steel making slag.