Getting the Best from a Byproduct
Vlad Popovici, Bredero Shaw, Canada,
introduces the Waelz slag and explains the
benefits for cement producers.
Introduction
The steel industry is one of the main global sources of reusable
byproducts: slags, sludges, mill scales, and dusts. Significant
resources have been invested to understand the properties
of these byproducts and to identify new uses for them in
clinker and cement production. Some of these byproducts,
such as granulated blastfurnace slag, have become mainstream
materials in the building materials industry. Others, such as
the Waelz slag, are only just starting to draw interest from
potential users.
[May 10] Reprinted from worldcement.com
The Waelz process EAF dust is usually rich in zinc (due to the presence of
Around one third of global steel production is manufactured galvanised scrap steel in the EAF raw materials) and iron
in electric arc furnaces (EAF) that use mostly steel scrap as compounds and is listed as a hazardous material in most
raw materials. EAF steelmaking has continuously increased countries around the world; in the US, for example, it appears
over the last couple of decades and is expected to increase as K061 on the EPAs hazardous materials list, because of its
as steel recycling grows worldwide. The EAF steelmaking heavy metal contents. Although research has been carried out
process has two byproducts: the EAF slag (around 80 kg per to use the EAF dust in different applications, none has proved
ton of new steel) and the EAF dust (around 20 kg per ton of to be viable on a large scale. Until recently, the main option
steel produced).1 This article will focus on EAF dust and its for the EAF dust producers has been to send the material to
recycling byproducts. companies that would chemically stabilise the material and
then landfill it at special hazardous material disposal sites. This
option is expensive though, as, according to various industry
sources, the total costs of chemical stabilisation and disposal
can reach US$165 170/t. On the other hand, the fact that
the dust is rich in zinc (a valuable commodity with a high
resale value) has attracted the attention of specialised recycling
companies that are willing to take the EAF dust from the
steelmakers for a processing fee and process it to recover zinc
and sometimes iron.
These recycling companies have used the extensive
research carried out to develop hydrometallurgical,
pyrometallurgical and chemical separation technologies
for recovering zinc from the EAF dust. Until now, the
pyrometallurgical technologies have proved to be the most
economically feasible and the leading option is the Waelz
rotary kiln process. It is estimated that around 80% of the EAF
dust recycling capacity in the world is currently concentrated
in Waelz rotary kilns.
The Waelz rotary kiln process volatilises the zinc in the
EAF dust and produces a zinc oxide (or the Waelz oxide)
with 55 - 65% Zn and a heavy slag (Waelz slag) that is the
subject of this article (Figure 1). The oxide is sold to the zinc
concentrators to produce high-purity zinc.
The kiln process has several main steps. The first is
Figure 1. Heavy slag generation by the Waelz process. the preparation of the kiln feed: the EAF dust is pelletised
Source: EUROFER/IZA. together with water, coke breeze (or petcoke) that acts as
reducing agent, as well as a slag forming agent - either sand or
lime - and is continuously fed into the kiln. Once in the kiln,
the feed is heated to around 1200 C and the zinc in the feed
pellets is reduced, vaporised and finally recovered as Waelz
oxide. The Waelz kiln rotates at about 1 rpm and has a slight
inclination of 2 - 3% to allow the material to move towards
the other end of the kiln. The Waelz slag comes out at the
other end of the kiln and is cooled by the ambient air. The
off-gas, containing the zinc oxide, travels to a settling chamber
where it is cooled by water and air intakes. The Waelz oxide is
then separated from the gas. Some Waelz facilities also have a
Figure 2. Waelz heavy slag. washing plant that increases the zinc oxide concentration and
removes most of the halogens (Cl, F, etc.)2 The Waelz rotary
kiln process can be scaled to process between 35 000 and
Table 1. Composition of a typical basic Waelz slag 160000 tpa of EAF dust.
Compound name Weight range (%)
FeO 40 - 50 The Waelz slag
CaO 15 - 25 The Waelz rotary kiln process generates around 600 - 650 t of
heavy Waelz slag for every t of EAF dust processed.3
SiO2 7-8
The composition of the slag is highly dependent on the
Zn 2-3 composition of the EAF dust that was fed into the process.
MnO 3-6 Most of the time the slag is rich in iron, calcium and silica
Al2O3 2.5 - 3.0 compounds and has other minor components such as
MgO 5.0 - 7.0 magnesium compounds, aluminum oxide, zinc, etc. (Table1).
When sand is used as a slag-forming agent in the process,
Pb 0.3 - 0.6
the Waelz slag will be acidic, meaning that it will have more
Na2 + K2O 0.5 - 1.0
silica and silica compounds than calcium and magnesium

Reprinted from worldcement.com [May 10]

compounds. Basic Waelz slags (pH11- 12) are generated
when lime or limestone are used as slag-forming agents
and will have more calcium and magnesium compounds
(mostly oxides) than silica and silica compounds. The Waelz
slags are mostly non-hazardous materials, as any heavy
metals present in the material have marginal concentrations
and are rather heavy with a typical density range of
3000 4000 kg/m3, due to the significant presence of iron
and iron compounds.
The granulometry of the Waelz slag is variable, as
most slags are just cooled in the ambient air; therefore the
granulometry range is fairly wide, from 0 - 120 mm in
diameter. Depending on the manufacturing and storing
conditions, the Waelz slags can have 0 - 8% water content,
with the fresh slag having more water than the older stored
material.
Applications in cement manufacturing
Initial applications for the Waelz slag were limited by the lack
of mutual knowledge of the EAF dust recycling industry and
the construction and building materials industry. However,
EAF dust processing companies have begun to research
potential market applications for these materials that will avoid
them being landfilled.
Most of the initial and current applications for the Waelz
slags are low value applications; thus, they are widely used in
geotechnical applications such as ground stabilisation, road
base aggregates or landfill covers. The industry is slowly
moving them towards higher value applications, such as
aggregate in asphalt, or in special concrete applications, such
as heavy concrete manufacturing.
The most interesting applications, however, for both the
slag user and the supplier, are the high value applications,
such as the use of the slag material as kiln feed in the clinker
manufacturing process.
Some cement producers use 1.5 - 2 kg of iron or other
iron-bearing materials - waste grinding media, blastfurnace
slag, mill scales, clay, etc. - to produce each ton of cement. Iron
ore is, alongside lime (from limestone), silica (from sand) and
alumina (from clay), one of the main components fed into
the kiln to produce the clinker. In the kiln, the iron forms
tetracalcium aluminoferrite (C4AF), which represents 5 - 15%
of the final product.
Being rich in iron and having all the other ingredients
necessary for the production of clinker calcium, silica and
alumina oxides the Waelz slags are an ideal substitute for
iron ore in the kiln feed. The feasibility of using the slags in
the cement kilns is proven, as they are already used by some
cement producers in Europe and North America. The wide
range of the slag granule sizes is not an issue, as the kiln feed
materials are all fed into the grinding mill before entering the
kiln.
The economics of using the Waelz slags are compelling.
One ton of iron ore reaches a European or North
American cement plant in a delivered price range from
US$100 130per ton. As for the Waelz slag, the current
market prices are very low; this is a consequence of the
producers trying to avoid the potential disposal costs linked
to these materials US$25 - 35 per ton on average in North
America and Europe - thus making the material available at
very low prices. The low value attributed to the material by
the alternative valorisation routes geotechnical applications,
aggregate in asphalt or concrete also contributes to the low
The feasibility of using the
slags in the cement kilns is
proven, as they are already
used by some cement
producers in Europe and
North America.
level of the FOB prices. At the time of writing, FOB prices for
the Waelz slags are US$0 - 5 per ton.
There are limitations to the use of the Waelz slag as kiln
feed; among them are an unfavorable chemical composition.
For example, the potential presence of heavy metals over
the approved levels or the presence of magnetite that could
negatively impact the raw material magnetic separation
processes in some cement plants, public regulations that
could limit the use, the transportation or the import/export
of these materials in some countries and the logistic
costs because of the low value:volume ratio, slag shipping
by rail or road a distance of 200 - 250 km will remove any
cost savings that the material offers compared to iron ore.
The slag can, however, be transported on water at much
longer distances. The final limitation is the competition
from other industrial byproducts - granulated blastfurnace
slag, mill scales, etc., whose sources are located closer to the
cement plant or that have a lower delivered price than the
Waelz slag source.
Global supply and benefits
In the context of the limitations mentioned, it is recommended
that each Waelz slag and source be qualified for use in the kilns
by the cement producer. For a cement manufacturer, the main
criteria will be the chemical composition and the composition
consistency of the slag material, the available volume of slag,
the delivered price and the transportation modes available at
the slag-producing facility.
The global production of Waelz heavy slag, as of the
end of 2008, was estimated at 1.4 million tpa. The largest
producing regions are Europe, North America and Asia,
and new Waelz facilities are currently under construction in
North and Latin America, in Europe and Asia. The countries
with the largest Waelz slag production are currently the US,
Germany, France, Mexico, Taiwan, Italy and Turkey. If the
current trends continue, global production of Waelz slag
should reach about 2 million tpa over the next 5 - 10 years,
with a long-term theoretical global slag potential production
of 3.5 - 4.5 million tpa. This represents an interesting
volume, especially for cement plants located in the major
producing countries.
The use of the Waelz slags as kiln feed has clear benefits
for both its users and the suppliers. As the raw materials
represent about 30% of the production cost of cement,4 cement
producers can achieve significant cost savings by substituting
iron ore with iron-rich Waelz slags. By using an industrial
byproduct, cement producers can avoid the environmental
impact of extracting iron ore (for the extraction of every
[May 10] Reprinted from worldcement.com
 manufacturing process is a high value application that has
numerous benefits for both its users and suppliers. As the
global production of Waelz slag is expected to increase in the
next 5 - 10 years, cement producers will have increased access
to a cost-efficient raw material that also avoids GHG emissions
from natural materials extraction.

References
1. EUROFER and IZA-Europe, Zinc Recycling, 1999.
2. RTTEN, J. T., Application of Waelz and Other Processes on Treatment of
Steel Mill (EAF) Dust, Presentation at the Expert Meeting of DK Recycling &
Roheisen GmbH, 2008.
3. RTTEN, J. T. Ist der Wlzprozess fr EAF-Staub noch zeitgem? at
Vernetzung von Zink und Stahl Leoben, 2009.
4. Lafarge 2008 Annual Report.
Figure 3. 2008 global production of Waelz slag (000 tpa).
5. BHP Billiton, Sustainability Report 2007, www.bhpbilliton.com.

Bibliography
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the clean development mechanism (CDM) programme. On the
other hand, the use of the Waelz slag as a kiln feed allows slag
suppliers to avoid the slag disposal costs and even create small
revenue streams from slag sales.
Conclusion
The heavy slag generated by the zinc recovery operations
using the Waelz rotary kiln to process EAF dust is a useful
industrial byproduct that was usually landfilled or used in
low-value geotechnical and construction applications. The
use of the Waelz slag to substitute iron ore in the clinker
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LIEBMAN, M., The Current Status of Electric Arc Furnace Dust Recycling in
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Reprinted from worldcement.com [May 10]