Support to Sustainable Research
ArcelorMittal Tubarão invests continuously in partnerships with teaching institutions all over the countries aiming at stimulating the academic sector to carry out researches for the development of new technology to make viable the use of steel making residues such as blast furnace and LD slag.
The result is the broadening of the field of opportunities for the development of researchers of such institutions, added to projects that make it possible to transform inert materials into quality raw material for several segments of the economy, from the construction to agricultural sector.
The cooperation of the educational institutions has been fundamental to maintain the company as a reference in the management of residues. In 2009, the production residues reuse index at Tubarão was above 97%, far higher than the sector average, which is 80%. From the total of residues reused, 32% are used in the steel process and 68% are traded.
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Federal University of Viçosa, Minas Gerais (UFV)
Since the signature of the first partnership agreement to support research in 2003, this institution has contributed to the broadening of the use of slag. Currently, the focus of the studies is to show the efficiency and feasibility of the processed slag as a soil corrective element.
Incaper (State Institute of Research, Technical Assistance and Rural Extension)
In 2007 slag started to be studied as a soil corrective element in partnership with UFV. The target is to obtain the license to use the material from the Ministry of Agriculture and also the technical approval from the State Agriculture Secretariat. Besides the low cost compared to the other products, slag has the advantage of representing the reuse of a material, resulting in less use of natural resources.
State University of North Fluminense (UENF), in Rio de Janeiro
To research applications for blast furnace sludge on red clay.
Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), in Minas Gerais
Use of slag as railway ballast.
Acerita
Co-product obtained through Revsol treatment process, developed and patented by ArcelorMittal Tubarão, in 2002.
Acerita gained market for its qualities as road base and sub-base and for pavement cover. Produced from steel slag, it is widely used as a substitute for crushed stone, especially for road works. In 2009 the National Department for Transport Infrastructure (DNIT) approved the technical regulations for the use of Acerita as paving sub-base and base. This regulation, based on the evaluation of the structural and environmental technical aspects, will enhance its use in road paving in Brazil. In the last 5 years 392 thousand tons of Acerita have been used to pave streets, avenues and public roads, as well as industrial roads and yards, thus preventing the use of at least the same amount of non-renewable natural resources.
Revsol
Also a result from the steel process, after the processing of steel slag, this co-product is used in primary coating of roads as a substitute for natural aggregates.
It is mainly used in a joint project with the government - specially the town halls in Espirito Santo - to improve traffic conditions and access to rural roads. It is also widely used as a primary coating of industrial roads and yards reducing implementation and maintenance costs. In the last 5 years Revsol has been used in improvement works on more than 260 km.
