A porous geopolymer with adsorption and photocatalytic degradation functions was successfully developed by utilizing Ti-bearing blast furnace slag (TBBFS) as the raw material. The prepared porous geopolymers were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrometer, and Fourier transform infrared spectrum. Selective crystallization, water quenching, and natural cooling methods were employed to investigate the influences of these modifications on the applicability of TBBFS as a precursor for geopolymer synthesis. Water-quenched slag with amorphous content was prone to alkali dissolution, and the resulting geopolymer exhibited the highest adsorption capacity (97.18 mg/g) for methylene blue (MB) removal. Selective crystallization at 1400 °C generated a hybrid microstructure consisting of a non-cementitious CaTiO₃ crystallization phase and a cementitious amorphous fraction. The retention of CaTiO₃ in the final geopolymer enables a bifunctionality in adsorption–photodegradation. Particularly, the adsorption and photodegradation processes under various conditions were investigated. The superior removal efficiency for MB could be attributed to the synergistic effects between the geopolymer matrix and CaTiO₃, leading to an enhancement in the formation of hydroxyl radicals. The conversion of TBBFS into porous geopolymer offers an efficient and straightforward solution for slag utilization and dye removal.

Diopside-based glass-ceramics are successfully produced by recycling blast furnace slag and fluorite tailing with the addition of supplementary elements such as TiO₂, Fe₂O₃ and Cr₂O₃ as nucleation agents, using a conventional melting method. The effects of various nucleating agents on the phase components and structure of the prepared glass-ceramics were evaluated by a differential scanning calorimeter, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope–energy disperse spectrometer methods to determine the optimal dosage of nucleating agents. The results show that, in the preparation of diopside-based glass-ceramics, the suitable percentages of blast furnace and fluorite tailing are 55% and 45%, and the recommended composite nucleating agents consist of 1.5% Cr₂O₃, 2% TiO₂ and 3% Fe₂O₃. Heat treatment was conducted at a nucleation temperature of 720 °C and a crystallization temperature of 920 °C, and the nucleation and crystallization durations were 1.0 h and 1.5 h, respectively. Under the abovementioned parameters, the obtained diopside-based glass-ceramics displayed a Vickers hardness of 7.12 GPa, density of 2.95 g·cm⁻³, water absorption of 0.02%, acid resistance of 0.23% and alkali resistance of 0.02%.

The fabrication of well densified wollastonite with smooth appearance by direct sintering method is still a challenge due to the competitive behaviors between sintering and crystallization. In this study, the coarser glass frits with a size of 1–4 mm are subjected to heat treatment at different temperatures. An attempt of integrating differential thermal analyzer with a slag melting temperature characteristic tester was exploited to monitor the heat and geometry changes during the heating. The results showed that the addition of CaF₂ can significantly promote the crystallization of wollastonite at 940 °C, while hindering the sintering ability. At higher temperature, the increase of CaF₂ acts as flux and favors the formation of eutectics, leading to a decline in the precipitation amount of wollastonite. The predominated liquid sintering brought fast shrinkage. It was found out that high content of CaF₂ narrows the dense sintering temperature range and results in uneven surfaces. In order to obtain wollastonite glass-ceramics with smooth appearance, the maximum content of CaF₂ in sintering glass-ceramics should be limited to 2 wt.%.