Distribution and Chemical Species of Chromium in the EAF Dust from Stainless Steel Plant

Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) dust generated in the production process of stainless steel is a hazard to the environment and human health due to its large amounts of toxic substances, such as Cr(VI). Cr in the EAF dust is mainly in the form of a residue according to sequential extraction procedure test, and only small amounts of Cr are mobility. Although the formation mechanism of the EAF dust has been gradually understood, the distribution and chemical species of Cr in EAF dust are rarely studied. In this paper, the distribution and chemical species of Cr in EAF dust were studied. The results show that Cr(III) and Cr(VI) are mainly present in the small particles. After sputtering about 140 s with Ar+ ion beam, the Cr(VI) on the surface of dust particles disappears, and the content of Cr(III) reaches 100%, indicating the Cr(VI) in the EAF dust comes from the oxidation of lower valent Cr-containing substances and enrich on the surface of the dust particles.