Valorization of ferrochrome slag: towards increasing the beneficial utilisation of ferrochrome slag in South Africa

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Ferrochrome slag is a leftover of the production process of ferrochrome, acrucial alloying element for the production of stainless steel. The materialproperties of these slags show excellent properties for reuse in the constructionindustry. South Africa, the leading producer of ferrochrome does not take advantageof those potential downstream applications, resulting in a concerningand challenging disposal practice, contrary to other international ferrochromeindustries that capture value through reuse. The concept of industrial symbiosiscan unlock potential material utilization in the South African industry.Despite the opportunities the industry is only making slow progress in implementingsuccessful reuse applications. The legal authorities and industryseem to be misaligned, resulting in sub-optimal waste management practices.Therefore a solution is needed which addresses the problems and opportunitiesand provides a more effcient method for the reuse of ferrochrome slag. To-wards arriving at such a solution, this study identifies the primary barriers andopportunities for the reuse of slag through industry surveys and supported byexperiences from other industries, such as the ferrochrome industry in Finlandand the European steel industry. The outcome from this was the developmentof a roadmap, which proposes how the utilization of ferrochrome slag mightbe increased. Innovation platforms are mooted as a suitable approach throughwhich to apply the proposed roadmap in practice. The stakeholders' feedbackshowed the suitability of the developed roadmap to increase utilization of ferrochromeslag, resulting in economic, environmental and social benefits. The challenge which remains is to motivate the stakeholders to communicate and implement the proposed strategy.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University