Hyundai Steel develops road-surfacing material

Korea’s second-largest steelmaker Hyundai Steel succeeded in developing an environment-friendly road-surfacing material using slag for the first time in the country, the company said Sunday.

The steelmaker said it finished the quality review of FerroPhalt, made with slag, a glass-like byproduct of metal smelting. 

While slag has only been used in construction of buildings so far, the new product will be able to replace asphalt or concrete paving, the company said.

Compared to traditional natural aggregate, FerroPhalt boasts 40 percent stronger deformation strength and 20 months longer durability, reducing maintenance costs.

The steelmaker has been pursuing the environment friendly road-surfacing project since 2012. It has conducted durability tests at its steel mill in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, for three years. Starting from July last year, the new product has been used on roads in nearby Dangjin, Seosan and Asan.

“Through trial construction involving 50,000 tons of FerroPhalt, (the company) has verified the product quality and secured relevant construction technology. Once the product is actively used, it is projected to annually replace 300,000 tons of natural aggregate use, thereby, reducing the damage to nature,” the company said.

Hyundai Steel is now working on product commercialization.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)