Mechanical strength and environmental sustainability of EAF concrete

The use of recycled materials in concrete members has gained a significant attraction in the last years. In this context, the possibility of including metallurgical slags in concrete has been explored by several research works, among them it is worth citing the ones carried out in the last 15 years by the research groups of the University of Padova, University of Burgos and University of Basque Country. In this contribution, a review of the main features of Electric Arc Furnace slag (EAF) concrete is made, focusing on the improvements observed in the properties of this concrete compared to the reference realized with natural aggregates only. Furthermore, two examples of real-scale applications in reinforced concrete (RC) structures are shown. Lastly, a life cycle analysis (LCA) has been applied to one of the above-mentioned cases, demonstrating the gains in terms of reduced environmental impacts that can be achieved using this material.