Environmental behaviour of iron and steel slags in coastal settings

作者：Alex L. Riley, James Cameron, Ian T. Burke, Patrizia Onnis, John MacDonald, Catherine J. Gandy, Richard A. Crane, Patrick Byrne, Sean Comber, Adam P. Jarvis, Karen A. Hudson‐Edwards, William M. Mayes · 发表于：Environmental Science and Pollution Research · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1007/s11356-024-33897-4 · 被引用次数：15 · 研究领域：Mine drainage and remediation techniques、Radioactive element chemistry and processing、Metal Extraction and Bioleaching

Iron and steel slags have a long history of both disposal and beneficial use in the coastal zone. Despite the large volumes of slag deposited, comprehensive assessments of potential risks associated with metal(loid) leaching from iron and steel by-products are rare for coastal systems. This study provides a national-scale overview of the 14 known slag deposits in the coastal environment of Great Britain (those within 100 m of the mean high-water mark), comprising geochemical characterisation and leaching test data (using both low and high ionic strength waters) to assess potential leaching risks. The seaward facing length of slag deposits totalled at least 76 km, and are predominantly composed of blast furnace (iron-making) slags from the early to mid-20th Century. Some of these form tidal barriers and formal coastal defence structures, but larger deposits are associated with historical coastal disposal in many former areas of iron and steel production, notably the Cumbrian coast of England. Slag deposits are dominated by melilite phases (e.g. gehlenite), with evidence of secondary mineral formation (e.g. gypsum, calcite) indicative of weathering. Leaching tests typically show lower element (e.g. Ba, V, Cr, Fe) release under seawater leaching scenarios compared to deionised water, largely ascribable to the pH buffering provided by the former. Only Mn and Mo showed elevated leaching concentrations in seawater treatments, though at modest levels (<3 mg/L and 0.01 mg/L, respecti...