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During carbon steel manufacturing, large amounts of electric arc furnace (EAF) slag are generated. EAF slag, if properly treated and processed into aggregate, is an alternative source of high-quality material, which can substitute the use of natural aggregates in most demanding applications in the construction sector, mostly for wearing asphalt courses. In this screening process of high-quality aggregates, a side material with grain size 0/32 mm is also produced, which can be used as an aggregate for unbound layers in road construction. In this study, the environmental impacts of slag aggregate (fraction 0/32 mm) were evaluated in mixed natural/slag aggregates. Different mixtures of natural/slag aggregates were prepared from aged (28 days) and fresh slag, and their environmental impacts were evaluated using leaching tests. It was shown that among the elements, chromium (Cr) was leached from some mixed aggregates in quantities that exceeded the criterion for inert waste. The data from the present investigation revealed that mixed aggregates, prepared from aged slag (fraction 0/32 mm) and natural stone in the ratio 10/90, are environmentally acceptable and can be safely used in unbound materials for road construction.

Three cementitious composites containing different natural fibres (flax, hemp and sea-grass) were evaluated from an environmental perspective by means of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method applying the cradle-to-gate approach. The environmental impact of these composites was compared to that of cementitious composites reinforced with conventional synthetic polyacrilonitrile (PAN) fibres. The functional unit was the production of one cubic meter of cementitious composites ready-for-use. The results show that generally the environmental footprint of composite with synthetic fibres is bigger than the footprint of the composites with added natural fibres. Exceptions may only be the impacts on eutrophication and freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, which are significantly affected by cultivation of crops. Flax and hemp cultivation is associated with emissions to soil and water. For this reason, the composite mixture with flax fibres has a significantly greater impact on eutrophication and freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity than the composite mixture with synthetic fibres. A cementitious composite mixture with sea-grass shows the lowest impacts in all impact categories. The entire life cycle of the studied composites was not included in this research since the life cycle of natural fibre composites is not straightforward and is highly dependent on the durability of the fibres within the matrix.

Electric arc furnace (EAF) steel slag can be used as an alternative high‐quality material in road construction. Although asphalts with slag aggregates have been recognized as environmentally acceptable, there is a lack of data concerning the potential leaching of toxic Cr(VI) due to the highly alkaline media of EAF slag. Leaching of selected water extractable metals from slag indicated elevated concentrations of total chromium and Cr(VI). To estimate the environmental impacts of asphalt mixes with slag, leachability tests based on diffusion were performed using pure water and salt water as leaching agents. Compact and ground asphalt composites with natural aggregates, and asphalt composites in which the natural aggregates were completely replaced by slag were prepared. The concentrations of total chromium and Cr(VI) were determined in leachates over a time period of 6 mo. After 1 and 6 mo, the concentrations of some other metals were also determined in the leachates. The results indicated that chromium in leachates from asphalt composites with the addition of slag was present almost solely in its hexavalent form. However, the concentrations were very low (below 25 μg L−1) and did not represent an environmental burden. The leaching of other metals from asphalt composites with the addition of slag was negligible. Therefore, the investigated EAF slag can be considered as environmentally safe substitute for natural aggregates in asphalt mixes.