Abstract
Cement concrete is one of the most versatile and widely used materials throughout the world. It is generally composed of three phases: aggregates, cement paste and a transition zone between cement and aggregates. Aggregates form the skeleton of concrete. Approximately, 3/4th volume of concrete is made of aggregates (Fine and Coarse). Aggregate is considered as the most important constituent of concrete since it contributes to the fresh and hardened properties of concrete. River sand is the most common fine aggregate used in concrete. Nowadays, there is a huge demand for natural fine aggregates in the construction world since modernization and urbanization which lead to over exploitation of natural river sand and it results in depletion. Hence, in order to preserve natural resource and to develop sustainable environment, it is important to replace a suitable material for fine aggregates in concrete. On the other hand, Industrial Waste Management is one of the most emerging fields associated with the environmental safety. Most of the industrial solid wastes are dumped as landfills and cause environmental pollution. In order to provide a better solution to this problem, nowadays, utilization of large quantities of metal industry waste materials like copper slag, steel slag, blast furnace slag, foundry sand, steel mill scale etc., as a partial replacement of fine aggregates are being practiced in the construction industry.
Steel is manufactured from iron ores. The various processes involved in steel manufacturing are Sintering, Blast furnacing, Basic oxygen furnacing, casting and rolling. Hence, there are several solid wastes are generated during steel manufacturing process. Sinter plant, refractory material plant, basic oxygen furnace, steel melting shop and rolling mills are the main sources of solid waste generation in a steel plant. The major solid wastes in a steel plant are coke dust, blast furnace slag, LD slag, scrapped steel mill scales, mill sludge, fly ash, SMS slag and etc., Some of these solid wastes might have potential as to be used as a substituent material to the concrete ingredients.