Environmental Effects and Possible Highway Applications of Electric Arc Furnace Slag in Turkey

As have been in many developed countries; to reduce the environmental impact of production and consumption of natural resources in Turkey, alternatives should be taken in to consideration. Construction is a leading sector in Turkey and requires the highest amount of raw materials. In this respect, steel sector as the producer and highway construction sector as the consumer stand out, in scope of international researches and applications. Turkey is the 8 th biggest steel producer in the world however steel slag still accepted as solid waste and no environmental and mechanical utilization procedures or processes defined. In this paper; three electric arc furnace slag samples are introduced according to cooling, contamination and weathering conditions. Firstly environmental effects are investigated according to "Solid Waste Landfill Criterions" in Turkish Solid Waste Landfill Regulations Appendix II. Parameters in "Solid Waste Landfill Criterions" are compared with international regulation variables. Deficient potential hazardous parameters are included to the research. Secondly mechanical properties are examined according to ASTM standards and compared with the limits in Turkish Highway Specifications 2013. Lastly environmental and mechanical properties are evaluated within the scope of possible applications.