Prelimitary study about use of secondary lead smelting slag in the production of asphalt mixtures

Abstract

In the last decades there has been a rapid increase in the production of industrial waste. For most waste there is no effective use and cause a disposal crisis, contributing to environmental problems. This work is based on the evaluation of a secondary slag of lead, as an aggregate in asphalt mixtures. The slag comes from a Colombian industry dedicated to the production and marketing of lead-acid batteries. The slag is characterized by having an amorphous form, it is composed of oxides of iron, sulfur, sodium, and others. The objective of the work was to carry out a preliminary study on the technical and environmental feasibility of the application of a secondary lead smelter slag in asphalt mixtures, in order to take advantage of and add value that residue. A characterization of the residue, as far as the particle size, chemical and mineralogical composition was carried out; in addition, quality parameters for aggregates in asphalt mixtures were measured, as well as TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure) tests to determine the toxic characteristics of the slag. It was observed that the secondary slag of lead has potential to be used in asphalt mixtures, complying with the limits of toxicity standards.