Slag
By-product of smelting ores and used metals / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Slag?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Slag is a by-product of smelting (pyrometallurgical) ores and recycled metals.[1] Slag is mainly a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. Broadly, it can be classified as ferrous (by-products of processing iron and steel), ferroalloy (by-product of ferroalloy production) or non-ferrous/base metals (by-products of recovering non-ferrous materials like copper, nickel, zinc and phosphorus).[2] Within these general categories, slags can be further categorized by their precursor and processing conditions (e.g., blast furnace slags, air-cooled blast furnace slag, basic oxygen furnace slag, and electric arc furnace slag). "Slag generated from the EAF process can contain toxic metals, which can be hazardous to human and environmental health".[3]
Due to the large demand for these materials, slag production has also significantly increased throughout the years despite recycling (most notably in the iron and steelmaking industries) and upcycling efforts. The World Steel Association (WSA) estimates that 600 kg of by-products (about 90 wt% is slags) are generated per tonne of steel produced.[5]