A comparison of atmospheric CO2 capture with steel slags in Mexico and the United Kingdom

Del Angel Lozano, Jose Porfirio (2024) A comparison of atmospheric CO2 capture with steel slags in Mexico and the United Kingdom. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The continuous increase of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2, has prompted con-siderable concern and research towards decreasing their impact within the environment. Ef-forts to reduce CO2 emissions have been developed with the aim of avoiding further increases in global temperature, one of the main repercussions of increased greenhouse gas emissions, and affecting the planetary balance. From this, carbon capture and storage, through mineral carbonation using iron and steel slags, could represent a solution for CO2 emissions offsetting, while also repurposing of an industrial waste material.

The research work described within this thesis aims to address the environmental challenges related to excessive atmospheric CO2, by investigating carbon removal strategies, focusing on the utilisation of iron and steel manufacturing slags for CO2 sequestration, while efficiently repurposing industrial waste. The research will be structured around three main objectives. Firstly, it will assess the CO2 capturing rates of legacy slags from Monclova, Mexico, and Ra-venscraig, Scotland, using x-ray tomography and 3D data analysis. Secondly, it will estimate the volume of legacy iron and steel slags in Mexico through mapping former and current steelmaking locations, to calculate the CO2 sequestration capacity of the country. Thirdly, it will evaluate the cementitious properties of legacy slags from England, Mexico, and Scotland for potential reutilization in sustainable concrete production. Through chapters II, III, and IV, the thesis aims to extend the understanding of mineral carbonation of iron and steel manufac-turing slags to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions.

This research highlighted the key role of humidity along passive mineralisation of CO2 within slag heaps, as the amount of carbonated CO2 quantified in Scottish slags was double that of Mexican slags. Within the 273 K tonnes of slags stockpiled across Mexico, 5.7 K tonnes of CO2 have been mineralised; and there is an estimated potential of 160 K tonnes of CO2 that can be captured through enhanced carbonation. Potential pozzolanic behaviour were found in legacy iron and steel slags from England, Mexico and Scotland, where Blast Furnace and Basic Oxygen Furnace slags showed higher reactivity than Electric Arc Furnace slags, how-ever further research is needed to determined their capacity to be used as replacement for Ordinary Portland Cement. The findings from this research aim to extend the understanding on iron and steel slags and their wider use for environmental remediation and a source of materials for various industrial fields, not only correlated to steel manufacturing.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
• Colleges/Schools: College of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
• Supervisor's Name: MacDonald, Dr. John
• Date of Award: 2024
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2024-84646
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 31 Oct 2024 16:07
• Last Modified: 01 Nov 2024 09:15
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.84646
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/84646