Compositions and methods for treating waste water produced by copper mining operations are described herein. Slag from steel making operations and other industrial waste materials that include alkali metal and/or alkaline earth elements have been found to both raise pH of the waste water and also reduce arsenic content. Following such treatment the spent slag or industrial waste can be utilized as a source of valuable metals or incorporated into stabilized building materials.

Compositions and methods for treating waste water produced by copper mining operations are described herein. Slag from steel making operations and other industrial waste materials that include alkali metal and/or alkaline earth elements have been found to both raise pH of the waste water and also reduce arsenic content. Following such treatment the spent slag or industrial waste can be utilized as a source of valuable metals or incorporated into stabilized building materials.

The invention relates to a method for processing steel slag to produce a hydraulic mineral binder with a high hardening potential and to recover iron. There is provision for this purpose to provide a feed product comprising steel slag with MnO. This feed product is further processed as a melt by introducing reducing agents into the melt. A lime saturation factor of between 90 and 110 is hereby to be achieved in the mineral melt portion. Subsequently the melt is cooled in a defined manner and elemental iron is mechanically separated from the solidified melt. The solidified melt is then supplied for use as hydraulic mineral binder.

The invention relates to a method for processing steel slag to produce a hydraulic mineral binder with a high hardening potential and to recover iron. There is provision for this purpose to provide a feed product comprising steel slag with MnO. This feed product is further processed as a melt by introducing reducing agents into the melt. A lime saturation factor of between 90 and 110 is hereby to be achieved in the mineral melt portion. Subsequently the melt is cooled in a defined manner and elemental iron is mechanically separated from the solidified melt. The solidified melt is then supplied for use as hydraulic mineral binder.

A basic oxygen furnace slag treatment method includes the steps of mixing basic oxygen furnace slag with an active aqueous solution and then keeping the mixture thus obtained under an enclosed environment for reaction and then employing a solid-liquid separation procedure to separate solid phase from liquid phase. Since basic oxygen furnace slag has strong alkaline, the method of the invention overcomes the problem that directly discharging basic oxygen furnace slag will cause environmental pollutions. The basic oxygen furnace slag treatment method avoids a secondary pollution, and can turn waste into treasure, bringing a number of economic benefits.

A basic oxygen furnace slag treatment method includes the steps of mixing basic oxygen furnace slag with an active aqueous solution and then keeping the mixture thus obtained under an enclosed environment for reaction and then employing a solid-liquid separation procedure to separate solid phase from liquid phase. Since basic oxygen furnace slag has strong alkaline, the method of the invention overcomes the problem that directly discharging basic oxygen furnace slag will cause environmental pollutions. The basic oxygen furnace slag treatment method avoids a secondary pollution, and can turn waste into treasure, bringing a number of economic benefits.

The invention relates to fluxing agents for the agglomeration process based on slag from the secondary metallurgy, the use of these fluxing agents in the process of agglomeration in the manufacture of the agglomerate designed for the use as a metallic charge in blast furnaces and a process of production of fluxing agents based on slag from the secondary metallurgy or based on a mixture of slag from the secondary metallurgy with other materials.

The invention relates to fluxing agents for the agglomeration process based on slag from the secondary metallurgy, the use of these fluxing agents in the process of agglomeration in the manufacture of the agglomerate designed for the use as a metallic charge in blast furnaces and a process of production of fluxing agents based on slag from the secondary metallurgy or based on a mixture of slag from the secondary metallurgy with other materials.

An unshaped product including a particulate mixture containing: a coarse fraction, representing >50%<91% of particulate mixture, in mass percentage, and containing particles size 50 m, coarse particles, and matrix fraction, forming remainder up to 100% of particulate mixture, and containing particles sizes <50 m, product having chemical analysis, in mass percentage based on oxides of product, such: 45%<Al.sub.2O.sub.3, 7.5%<SiO.sub.2<35%, 0%ZrO.sub.2<33%, providing 10%<SiO.sub.2+ZrO.sub.2<54%, 0.15%<B.sub.2O.sub.3<8%, other oxides: <6%, Al.sub.2O.sub.3 forming remainder up to 100%, coarse fraction including more than 15% coarse particles having size >1 mm, in mass percentage based on particulate mixture, matrix fraction having a chemical analysis, in mass percentage based on oxides of matrix fraction, such: Al.sub.2O.sub.3+SiO.sub.2+ZrO.sub.2>86%, providing 35%<Al.sub.2O.sub.3.

A process for preparing solid slag granules from a molten slag composition comprises: (a) providing the molten slag composition; (b) converting the molten slag composition into the solid slag granules in a dispersion apparatus; and (c) sorting the solid slag granules by shape in a separator to produce a plurality of fractions having different sphericities. Granular slag products comprise one or more fractions of solid slag granules produced by the process, and include proppants, roofing granules, catalyst supports, which may be porous or non-porous, and coated or uncoated.