PhD student wins first place at National Slag Association Student Poster Competition

Taeyun Kong, PhD student in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign received first place at the 2025 National Slag Association (NSA) Annual Meeting Poster Competition for his research titled “Utilization of Aggregate Quarry By-Product Stabilized with Ladle Furnace Slag for Sustainable Pavement Foundations.” 

Kong, who works with CEE Illinois Abel Bliss Professor in Engineering, Director of International Programs, Paul Fraser Kent Faculty Scholar Professor Erol Tutumluer, was one of eight students selected to present their cutting-edge research in slag innovation and sustainability at the NSA meeting. Presentations were further evaluated by panels and conference attendees, and awards were given to the top three presenters, with Kong placing first.

His study explores the use of industrial by-products, specifically quarry by-product from crushed stone quarries as an aggregate and ladle furnace slag from steel production as a stabilizer, as alternative materials for constructing strong pavement foundations. The research highlights the sustainable benefits of using locally available materials and reducing reliance on carbon-intensive stabilizers such as cement through the utilization of slag as a stabilizer. The concept was extended from an ongoing ICT - Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) project, “Investigation of Dolomite Aggregate Long-Term Cementation and Its Potential Advantage for Building Roads,” which is part of his Ph.D. research focusing on the utilization of carbonate-based aggregate quarry by-products for road construction applications.

The NSA Poster Competition was part of the Research Showcase at the NSA Annual Meeting held in Naples, Fla. from September 15 to 18, celebrating the next generation of slag scientists and their contributions to a more sustainable future.