EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON STEEL SLAG AS A PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF CEMENT IN CONCRETE CUBE

Steel slag is a derivative of the steel production process. The disposal of slag from steel industries poses environmental problems. The steel slag exhibits the chemical constitution of cement and has the potential to be used as a cementitious material. Cement is one of the most essential components in concrete production, but its production process is also a major source of CO2 emissions. Therefore, partially substituting cement with eco-friendly materials is necessary. In this research, the possibility of using steel slag to partially replace cement is explored. Concrete of different compositions was prepared by replacing cement with steel slag. After curing, different experiments were carried out to determine the compressive and tensile strengths of the concrete and compare it with the conventional concrete cube. The results showed strength similar to conventional concrete cubes for replacement up to 15%. This shows that the amount of cement used can be reduced by the usage of steel slag in concrete, solving the issues related to steel slag disposal and CO2 emissions from cement production.