Anti-fungal properties of iron compound–rich electric arc furnace (EAF) slag Available to Purchase

Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) slag is a by-product generated during low-carbon steel refining has increased throughout the year. Only a few EAF slag is being utilized for construction applications, and the remaining were stockpiled without full utilization. Iron compound is a significant component in EAF slag that has great potential to carry anti-fungal properties. EAF slag is rich in iron and can be utilized as an alternative to the anti-fungal agent for wood products. Therefore, this project aims to determine the suitability of iron compound-rich EAF (obtained from Malaysia’s steel manufacturer) slag as an anti-fungal agent that the inhibition zone of brown rot and white rot fungi were investigated. For the anti-fungal assay, potato dextrose agar (PDA) was used as media to culture the brown rot (Coniophora puteana) and white rot (Lentinus Sajor-caju) fungi. Then, the EAF slag powder was placed surrounding rot fungi to observe the inhibition zone for 30 days. The anti-fungal assay, EAF slag, was also compared to synthetic iron compounds such as pure Fe, Fe₂O₃, and Fe₃O₄. The EAF slag was also characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) to identify the phases present. The fundamental of this experiment is to find what phases exist in EAF slag that works excellent on inhibiting the growth of rot fungi. From this experiment, EAF slag shows no inhibition zone towards brown rot and white rot fungi. However, pure Fe₂O₃ and Fe show the most significant influence on the inhibition zone towards brown and white rot fungi growth, respectively, on day 30 of the fungal assay. It shows that the EAF slag does not significantly influence rot fungi as the inorganic agent to protect the wood from brown rot and white rot fungi attacks.