Saving energy, exploitation and approriate use of natural resources and environment protection is prior key objectives of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province. If there is no plan for effective exploitaion, local natural resources will be exhausted in short coming time. Thus, using environment friendly construction materials is becoming a tendency of provincial industry sector.

At present, there are many environment friendly construction materials having dominated properties in comparision with old ones including steel slag. Steel slag is considered as normal industrial solid waste generated from steel treatment industry sector. If use approriate recycling technology to produce replacement materials, “steel slag is an environment friendly material” . According to TCVN 6705:2009 for Solid Waste Classification, steel slag is considered as a normal industrial solid waste given priority for recycling, re-using and limitation of dumping. Nowadays, steel slags are being used in practice such as materials for concreting, way jumping, brick block making, soft concrete, sewage treatment…Huge applications of steel slag in construction sector, transportation, environment protection proves that it is an useful and environment friendly product. If use one ton of steel slag will contribute to save exploitating one ton of rock, reduce air exhaust of carbon dioxide around 281 kgs  causing greenhouse effect. One ton of steel slag aggregate only costs to 2/3 of one ton of natural rock, its quality is equivalent or better.

Dr.Pham Hong Nhat, Institute of Tropical Technology and Environmental Protection (VITTEP) said that we should not consider steel slag as a waste but a material and directs users to have more exact viewpoint of steel slag. Recycling and using steel slag in the world is becoming widerly,however, its use is not popular in Vietnam. Users is afraid as using recycled steel slag thus we need to verify some toxic substances in steel slag and publicize it.

Dr.Le Hoang Ngiem, University for Natural Resources and Environment said that Ba Ria – Vung Tau is typical with rainy season for six months annually and projects are executed on weak and flooding soil foundation. Thus contruction companies faces with lots of difficulties during excution process. One of dominated characteristics of steel slag is water absorption of 2.5%, higher three times than natura stone (0.75%) and it has honeycombhood structure and bigger width than stone. Hence it is very feasible to use steel slag for production of  biological stone that can absorp water, avoid flood in urbans. Toxic components in steel slag is less and acceptable thus it can be used for a long time.

In condition that natural resource is becoming exhausted, environment quality is effected seriously due to high development speed of industry sectors and urbanization, recycling waste into manufacturing need to be carried out. This will help to reduce burden on environment pollution, natural resources protection for future generations, risk of land loss caused by dumping. And using steel slag can help businesses save a huge expense in production process because purchasing products from steel slag is much lower.

Vice Professionor, Dr.Do Quang Minh – vice Headmaster of Ho Chi Minh City National University said that steel slag is well-used to contruct ways because it has good water absorption and then frozen by itself. Ha Tien Cement Factory has to import a great number of steel slag from oversea as input for its manufacturing. Hence we should recycle steel slag for cement production. Steel slag should not be waste because it is a good resource to be used as input for environment materials. Ba Ria Vung Tau should manage steel slag as one type of resource, should not dump it.