Speciation of chromium in ferrochrome slag via laboratory high-energy-resolution von Hámos X-ray absorption spectroscopy

El Guettioui, Jihad and Rácz, Adél Sarolta and Harman-Tóth, Erzsébet and Weiszburg, Tamás G. and Németh, Zoltán (2026) Speciation of chromium in ferrochrome slag via laboratory high-energy-resolution von Hámos X-ray absorption spectroscopy. CASE STUDIES IN CHEMICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, 14. No. 101514. ISSN 2666-0164

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Abstract

During ferrochromium alloy manufacturing, ferrochrome slag is an inevitable industrial residue. Its environmental impacts depend on chromium speciation rather than on total chromium content alone. This study investigates chromium speciation within a low-carbon ferrochrome slag aliquot from a large-scale production facility in the Ural Mountains, using high-energy-resolution laboratory von Hamos ´ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), a novel technique only recently made accessible for routine characterization, designed to approach synchrotron-level performance. XANES analysis reveals the predominance of the trivalent oxidation state. LCF results indicate Cr occurs mainly in environments similar to FeCr2O4 (70.2%), Cr(0) (23.4%), and Cr2O3 (6.4%). EXAFS analysis shows that the first (Cr-O) and second (Cr-Cr) coordination shells are arranged in a chromite spinel-like Cr(III) structure. XPS findings confirm the predominance of Cr(III) in the slag. Finally, high-energyresolution laboratory von Hamos ´ XAS enabled the determination of the chromium oxidation state and the local coordination environment even in a poorly defined soil matrix, which parameters define the mobility, reactivity, and potential toxicity of the ferrochrome slag, and promotes this technique as an accessible and economical alternative for toxic metals speciation, with significant implications for the environmental risk classification and the safe reutilization of ferrochrome slag.

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