en Research Paper Research Paper <div style="text-align: justify;">The aim of the present research work is to evaluate the feasibility of processing and utilizing steel slag</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">in binary and ternary cement blends with limestone. The physical and microstructural properties of binary and</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">ternary composite cements produced by inter-grinding mixtures of ordinary Portland cement clinker, processed</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">steel slag and limestone in a laboratory ball mill with replacement levels varying from 0 wt.% to 30 wt.% were</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">studied. The effects of processed steel slag and limestone incorporation on density of dry cement mixes and water</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">consistency, setting time and volume stability of fresh and hardened cement pastes were investigated. Also,</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">density, water absorption, total open pore volume (%) and compressive strength of cement mortars were measured.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">The mix with 15 wt.% limestone and 15 wt.% processed steel slag was selected as a typical ternary cement mix</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">for complementary studies including X-ray diffractometry, thermal gravimetry, Fourier-transform infrared</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The results show that removal of relatively high</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">metallic content of steel slag increases its grindability for mechanical activation and improves its hydraulic</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">properties effectively and makes it suitable for being recycled in cement industry. The results show that</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">mechanical activation of the cement mixes enhances the poor hydraulic activity of the processed steel slag and</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">compensates the strength loss to some extent. The physical and chemical properties of all studied composite</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">cement mixes comply with ASTM standard specifications, except the compressive strength of the cement mixes</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">at 28-days containing 20 wt.% or higher amounts of limestone ground to the relatively low Blaine specific surface</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">area of about 3000 cm2/g.</div> ,Ternary composite cement,Processed steel slag,Limestone,Mechanical activation 1 17 http://ijmse.iust.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-3386-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Mojtaba Hosseini mojtaba65hosseini@yahoo.com 1800319475328460015089 1800319475328460015089 No Department of Chemistry,Firoozabad Branch, Islamic Azad University,Firoozabad,Fars Ali Allahverdi ali.allahverdi@iust.ac.ir 1800319475328460015090 1800319475328460015090 No School of Chemical EngineeringIran University of Science and Technology (IUST)Narmak 16846 - 13114Tehran, IRAN Mohammad Jaafar Soltanian fard mohammadjaafar_soltanian@yahoo.com 1800319475328460015091 1800319475328460015091 Yes Department Of Chemistry,Firoozabad Branch,Islamic Azad University,Fars, Iran