Comprehensive multiphase visualization of steel slag and related research in cement: Detection technology and application

Abstract

Steel slag is an abundant secondary resource with promising development prospects, while its industrial application is severely limited due to the highly intricate phases. To address this issue, diverse phase analysis methods have been adopted to identify functional or potentially harmful components in steel slag. Nevertheless, these methods fall short in terms of accuracy and reliability. The aim of this review is to overcome the obstacles of steel slag phase research and improve the utilization rate of steel slag by anatomical visualization and precise qualitative and quantitative detection of specific components. The basic lithofacies analysis methods for morphology, microstructure, and internal texture through optical and electron microscopy techniques are elucidated emphatically, and the auxiliary processing of microscopic quantitative analysis is extended accordingly. For chemical composition and mineralogical component, the detection methods of X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Quantitative X-ray diffraction (QXRD), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, Rietveld refinement method, titration, extraction, etc. for complete elements and specific minerals are separately introduced, and the optimization of these methods in applicability of physicochemical properties and accuracy of quantification are discussed. Meanwhile, the scheme of mastering the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the slag multiphase in order to achieve performance regulation and utilization improvement is demonstrated in conjunction with recent cement cases. This review provides valuable reference and guidance for the challenging task of systematizing the qualitative and quantitative analysis of steel slag related phases.