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APPLICATION OF QUARRY DUST AND CONCRETE RECYCLING DUST IN PYROMETALLURGICAL TREATMENT OF WAELZ SLAG TO ENABLE THE RECOVERY OF VALUABLE MATERIALS

1,2 HOSSAIN Md Naziat
Co-authors:
1 RECKSIEK Volker 1,3 ROMERO Junnile 1 EBERT Doreen 1 JOSEPH Praicy Ann 1,3 PATIL Ajay B. 2 CHARITOS Alexandros 1 RENNO Axel D. 1 GUTZMER Jens
Institutions:
1 Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf (HZDR); Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), 09599 Germany, EU, m.hossain@hzdr.de, v.recksieck@hzdr.de, a.renno@hzdr.de
2 Institute of Nonferrous Metallurgy and Purest Materials, Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, EU
3 The University of Jyväskylä, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Department of Chemistry, P.O. Box 35, Jyvaskyla, FI-40014, Finland, EU
Conference:
34th International Conference on Metallurgy and Materials, Orea Congress Hotel Brno, Czech Republic, EU, May 21 - 23, 2025
Proceedings:
Proceedings 34th International Conference on Metallurgy and Materials
ISBN:
978-80-88365-27-3
ISSN:
2694-9296
Licence:
CC BY 4.0
Metrics:
18 views / 25 downloads
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Abstract

Quarry dust and concrete recycling dust, generated as solid waste during rock and concrete crushing operations, poses a significant environmental challenge. Rich in SiO₂, these fine-grained materials hold potential as fluxing agents in pyrometallurgical processes, yet their metallurgical applications remain underexplored due to the complexity of such waste streams. Within the FINEST project (https://finest-project.de/), subproject 3: FINEST Disperse Metals, investigates the safe blending of multiple fine and ultra-fine grained industrial waste streams and their subsequent multi-stage pyrometallurgical processing for metal extraction and inert disposal. Furthermore, the Waelue project (https://www.recomine.de/en/project/waelue/) aims to valorize Waelz slag, a by-product of the well-established Waelz process for zinc extraction. Present study explores the feasibility of using quarry and concrete recycling dust as flux materials for the pyrometallurgical processing of Waelz slag. A carbothermic reduction process was designed and subjected to experimental testing. The process incorporated the dusts with the objective of extracting metals (Fe and Zn) and producing a non-hazardous slag suitable for use as a construction material. The FactSage™ software was employed to calculate the most suitable proportion between the dusts and Waelz slag, and reducing agent to ensure optimal smelting conditions. The results indicate that the incorporation of these dusts reduces the melting point and viscosity of the slag, facilitating efficient slag - metal separation along with valorization of the fine particulate waste. These findings highlight the potential of integrating quarry and concrete recycling dust in pyrometallurgical processes, advancing waste valorization and aligning with circular economy principles for sustainable industrial by-product recycling.

Keywords: Quarry dust, concrete recycling dust, Waelz slag, circular economy, waste valorization

© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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