Production and Crystallization Behavior of an Iron Rich Glass–Ceramic Prepared by Ironmaking and Steelmaking Wastes

Using wastes as starting raw materials is a common method to reduce the production costs and the environmental pollution problems arising from such wastes. In this study the production and crystallization behavior of an iron rich glass prepared by iron and steel making wastes has been investigated. The raw materials used, were the blast furnace slag, the blast furnace dust, converter slag and sludge, and agglomeration sludge. The glass was prepared by melting the proper amounts of raw materials at 1400 ˚C and devitrification of the glass followed by appropriate heat treatment at 850 ˚C. The as cast glass was characterized by differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction to assess the structural evolutions and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that after the crystallization of the base glass at 850 ˚C, the major crystalline phase was Diopside and it nucleated heterogeneously on colloidal iron particles which were present in the base glass. In fact, the ceramic phases surrounded the metallic iron particles confirmed that these metallic particles could be suitable heterogeneous sites for nucleation of crystalline phases.