Sustainable utilization of steel slags as road abrasives for ice melting application
Sandybay S. Orynbassarov I. Shon C.-S. Zhang D. Kim J.R. Chung C.-W.
15 January 2026Elsevier B.V.
Cold Regions Science and Technology
2026#242
Abrasives are essential for surface treatment in cold climates, where snow and ice pose significant challenges to transportation infrastructure and road safety. This study addresses the growing need for effective, sustainable winter road maintenance (WRM) methods by exploring basic oxygen furnace slag (BOFS) as an alternative abrasive for ice-melting applications. Fresh and stockpiled (aged) BOFSs were first evaluated for their physical and mechanical properties, including abrasive angularity, absorption capacity, and thermal capacity, to assess their potential for improved surface treatment for ice melting. Then, BOFS was combined with deicing salts, such as sodium chloride (NaCl) and calcium chloride (CaCl₂) to form a blended ice-melting agent for winter maintenance. A series of laboratory tests was conducted to evaluate ice-melting performance using a petri dish and polishing ice-melting tests, as well as to examine surface temperature and clogging effects after abrasive application under controlled conditions. The experimental results show that both BOFS demonstrated good ice-melting efficiency and had higher heat and water absorption capacities than natural abrasives. For instance, slag-based abrasives show approximately 30–40 % higher ice-melting efficiency than river sand and exhibit a 2–3 °C higher temperature rise under sunlight exposure. The findings of this study highlight the potential of BOFS not only as a viable abrasive material but also as a way to reduce environmental impacts associated with traditional practices that use natural sand. This research lays the groundwork for adopting slag as a sustainable alternative to conventional WRM abrasives, balancing performance, cost, and environmental considerations.
Abrasive material , Aggregate-deicing salt mixture , Basic oxygen furnace slag , Deicing salt , Ice melting , Winter road maintenance
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Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, 68588, NE, United States
Division of Architectural and Fire Protection Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan, 48513, South Korea
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Division of Architectural and Fire Protection Engineering
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