Soil conditioning products

Soil conditioning products

Ruukki processes blast furnace and steel slag into soil conditioning products that can be used to replace natural limestone:

• Blast furnace slag is a general all-purpose liming product particularly suitable for lawns and potato growing 
• Steel slag is an effective material for the primary application of lime; for example, for grain and sugar beet farming.

Because these products are alkalic materials including calcium, they quickly increase the pH-value of soil, and as they are small grained they also improve soil looseness.

Quality control starts at the production stage

The main components of liquid slag are analysed several times a day. The quality of finished products is controlled in accordance with legislation and product-specific requirements.

Blast furnace slag and steel slag as liming material meet the following requirements:

• national legislation relating to fertilisers 
• products are approved for organic farming.

Regular testing 

The environmental characteristics of the products are tested regularly by leaching tests performed in accordance with EN 12457-3. Mineral products have the minimal solubility of heavy metals.

ISO certified quality control

Product quality control is part of our environmental management system (ISO 14 001) and part of our quality management system (ISO 9001).