This paper presents results of mineralogical and chemical research connected with the polymorphic transformations of dicalcium silicates in aggregate based on open-hearth slag and also slags from the current production of EAF (electric arc furnaces), and LF (ladle furnaces). Particular attention was paid to the transformation of the polymorph β-Ca2[SiO4] into the variant γ-Ca2[SiO4], which is undesirable from the perspective of using steel slags in road construction. A full mineralogical characterization of the tested metallurgical slags enabled the verification of the effectiveness of detecting the decomposition of dicalcium silicate in observations in UV light in line with the PN-EN 1744- 1+A1:2013-05 standard. On the basis of the conducted research, it was found that in the aggregate based on open-hearth slags and in the EAF furnace slag, dicalcium silicates are mainly represented by the β-Ca2[SiO4] polymorph, accompanied by α’-Ca2[SiO4]. The slag from the LF furnace was characterized by a different composition, with a strong advantage (57%) of the α’-Ca2[SiO4] variety, with a 1% share of the β-Ca2[SiO4] and 15% of the γ-Ca2[SiO4].
It was found that the transformation of β-Ca2[SiO4] into γ-Ca2[SiO4] can take place only under certain conditions in the metallurgical process, but the process is not influenced by hyperergenic factors, as evidenced by the fact that after more than 100 years of storage of open-hearth slag, on the basis of which the aggregate was produced, it was primarily marked with all the variants of β-Ca2[SiO4], without the polymorph γ-Ca2[SiO4].
The comprehensive characterization of the slag phase composition requires use of an appropriately selected research methodology; this is of key importance prior to the secondary use of this material, especially in the presence of the γ-Ca2[SiO4] polymorph. It has been determined that the most accurate test results are obtained using the XRD technique. The method of determining the decomposition of dicalcium silicate according to the PN-EN 1744-1+A1:2013-05 standard proved to be unreliable. It seems that in the situation of using LF slag as an artificial aggregate, taking the test results according to the method described in the PN-EN 1744-1+A1:2013-05 standard as being decisive is very risky, especially on a large scale (e.g. in communication construction).

This article presents the results of studies into the phase and chemical composition of blast furnace slag in the context of its reuse. In practice, blast furnace slags are widely used in the construction industry and road building as a basis for the production of, for example, cements, road binders and slag bricks. T hey are also used in the production of concrete floors, mortars, and plasters. Blast furnace slag is mainly used as a valuable material in the production of hydraulic binders, especially cement that improves the mechanical properties of concretes.
The favorable physical and mechanical properties of slags, apart from economic aspects, are undoubtedly an asset when deciding to use them instead of natural raw materials. In addition to the above, there is also the ecological aspect, since by using waste materials, the environmental interference that occurs during the opencast mining of natural aggregates is reduced. S pecifically, this means waste utilization through secondary management.
However, it should be kept in mind that it is a material which quite easily and quickly responds to environmental changes triggered by external factors; therefore, along with the determination of its physical and mechanical properties, its phase and chemical composition must be also checked.
The studies showed that the predominant component of the blast furnace slag is glass which can amount up to 80%. In its vicinity, metallic precipitate as well as crystallites of periclase, dicalcium silicates and quartz can be found. With regard to the chemical composition of the slag, it was concluded that it meets the environmental and technical requirements regarding unbound and hydraulically bound mixtures. In case of the latter, in terms of its chemical composition, the slag meets the hydraulic activity category CA3. It also meets the chemical requirements for using it as a valuable addition to mortars and concretes, and it is useful in the production of CEM II Portland-composite cement, CEM III blast-furnace cement and CEM V composite cements. The blast furnace slag is a valuable raw material for cement production. Cement CEM III/C contains 81–95% of blast furnace slag in accordance with E N 197-1:2012. In 2019, the Polish cement industry used 1,939,387.7 tons of slag.