Assessment of dynamic surface leaching of asphalt mixtures incorporating electric arc furnace steel slag as aggregate for sustainable road construction

Abstract

This study evaluated the environmental sustainability of partially replacing natural aggregates with electric arc furnace (EAF) slag in concrete and porous asphalt mixtures. Both the Equilibrium Leaching Test (EN 12457-4) and the Dynamic Surface Leaching Test (DSLT, CEN/TS 16637-2) were applied to analyse the leaching behaviour of the asphalt mixtures. The results showed that the incorporation of EAF slag led to the release of chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), and vanadium (V), while the type of bitumen affected the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) release. However, when compared to EAF slag leaching, asphalt mixtures exhibited significantly reduced leaching, particularly Cr (by 70%) and V (by 60%). These results indicate that metal leaching follows a diffusion-controlled release mechanism, showing higher concentrations for the porous asphalt compared to the asphalt concrete. The cumulative leaching values at 64 days reached 2.54 mg·m-2 for Cr, 3.29 mg·m-2 for Mo, and 28.67 mg·m-2 for V, far from the limits set by the Dutch Soil Quality Decree (SQD) of 120, 144, and 320 mg·m-2, respectively. Therefore, this study demonstrated that EAF slag is a viable alternative for sustainable road construction, reducing natural resource consumption and promoting the circular economy.