9

Assessment of Copper Slag

as a Sustainable Fenton-Type
Photocatalyst for Water Disinfection
M. Solís-López1, A. Durán-Moreno2, F. Rigas3, A.A. Morales1,
M. Navarrete1, R.M. Ramírez-Zamora1
COORDINACIÓN DE INGENIERÍA AMB IENTAL, INSTITUTO DE INGE NIERÍA, UNIVERS IDAD
1

NA CIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO, CD. UNIVERSITARIA, C OYOACÁN, MÉXICO D.F.,

M ÉXI CO; 2 FACULTAD DE QUÍMICA, UNIVERSIDAD NA CIONAL AUTÓNOMA D E MÉXICO,
COYOACÁN, FEDE RAL DISTRICT, MÉ XICO; 3 SCHO OL OF CHEMICAL ENGINE ERING, NATIONAL
TECHNICAL UNIVERS ITY OF ATHENS, AT HENS, G REECE

1. Copper Slag Overview

In the metallurgical industry, wastes are generated from ore pretreatment and refine-
ment. Among these waste products, slag is produced in large quantities (millions of tons)
and represents an environmental problem because of its increasing annual accumula-
tion. Moreover, although slag is not classified as a hazardous waste, it can pose envi-
ronmental and health risks when the generation and accumulation rates of this material
are considered.
Since the beginning of the industrial era, metallurgical slags have been classified as
wastes. However, slags are very important in the production of metals because they
protect the metal from oxidation and remove undesirable impurities.1
Blast furnace slag is the most common type of slag produced in metallurgical oper-
ations. The American Society for Testing and Materials defines blast furnace slag as a
coarse aggregate of mineral origin formed by calcium silicates and ferrites combined
with molten iron oxides, aluminum, manganese, calcium, and magnesium. Additionally,
this slag forms during the smelting or refining of metals by the flux reacting with gangue,
impurities in the metal, and so on.2
Slags have a wide range of compositions.
• Metallurgical slags are usually composed of CaO-Al2O3-SiO2.
• Nonferrous slags frequently contain fayalite, for example, FeO$SiO2.
• Coal slags/fly ashes are typically CaO þ Al2O3 þ SiO2, have relatively low CaO levels
(<10%) and tend to be very viscous.

Water Reclamation and Sustainability. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-411645-0.00009-2 199

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